With more offensive talent entering the league than ever, this is the second-highest scoring NFL season of all time. Only the 2020 season — in which the COVID-19 pandemic seriously limited the number of fans in attendance — saw teams score more points per game on average.
Since more touchdowns are scored per game than in all but two seasons in the Super Bowl era, it is theoretically easier than ever to hit on an anytime touchdown scorer prop than ever before. But hitting on a first touchdown scorer bet is just as hard as ever, and it’s even more rare to hit on a first touchdown scorer parlay, which is why payouts can be lucrative.
That was certainly the case for one lucky fan, who made $119,700 by hitting a $10 four-leg First TD Scorer parlay with +1196900 odds. Here was the winning parlay:
- Michael Carter First TD Scorer
- Rachaad White First TD Scorer
- Sam LaPorta First TD Scorer
- Ladd McConkey First TD Scorer
This bettor was locked in on the afternoon games in Week 5, as all four games in the parlay started between 4:05 p.m. and 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday. They selected Arizona Cardinals running back Michael Carter to score first against the Tennessee Titans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White to score first against the Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta to score first against the Cincinnati Bengals, and Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey to score first against the Washington Commanders.
The first leg cashed just four minutes, six seconds after the kickoff between the Cardinals and the Titans. Arizona embarked on a methodical opening drive, going 66 yards in six plays to set up at the one-yard line. Marvin Harrison Jr. almost found the end zone first after an unbelievable catch in double coverage along the right sideline, but after a review, he was eventually ruled down just shy of the end zone. Two plays later, Carter punched it in, making a small cut-back to the right to give his team a quick 7-0 lead. The longtime reserve was playing in relief of James Conner and Trey Benson, who are both on Injured Reserve with long-term injuries. It was his first touchdown of the season.
The Lions wasted no time in their slightly later kickoff, opening their game against the hapless Bengals with a bang. After Jacob Saylors took Evan McPherson’s kickoff 37 yards to put Detroit in great field position, it took Jared Goff’s offense just four minutes, 10 seconds, to drive 57 yards to the end zone. The drive was all LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs, but no play was bigger than LaPorta’s 10-yard touchdown grab. The six-foot-three tight end took Goff’s screen pass near the left sideline, trundled up the outside, and went airborne to clear Cincinnati’s Dax Hill, coming down in the end zone for his first score of the season and the 18th of his career.
Just a few minutes later, it was McConkey’s turn. The second-year wideout capped off a nine-play, 76-yard opening drive for the Chargers by standing still in open space for several seconds while Justin Herbert’s first read out of play action failed to materialize. Los Angeles nearly didn’t get into the end zone — Cameron Dicker had originally made a 29-yard field goal, but it was wiped out because Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil was offside — but made the most of its second chance, requiring just two plays after the penalty to find the end zone. It was also McConkey’s first score of 2025; he’s been off to a slow start after a tremendous rookie season, and he ultimately finished with just 39 receiving yards in the loss.
The final leg to cash came from what ultimately proved to be the day’s highest-scoring game, the 38-35 thriller between the Buccaneers and the Seahawks. Tampa Bay jumped out to an early 6-0 lead thanks to two Chase McLaughlin field goals, but it didn’t have a great opportunity to find the back of the end zone until Seattle’s backup quarterback, Jalen Milroe, tried an ill-advised pitch on a trick play that ended up in the hands of Buccaneers safety Tykee Smith. That gave Baker Mayfield the ball at his own 41-yard line, and it only took seven plays for White to take a pitch down the left side for seven yards, getting Tampa Bay in the end zone for the first time just before the two-minute warning. It was White’s second touchdown of the season but his first as a starter, as he was elevated to the No. 1 role because of Bucky Irving’s injury.
If you want to attempt to cash in on predictions for future marquee games, you can build parlays at DraftKings Sportsbook. Players can center their picks around touchdown scorers like this bettor did, or bet on markets such as player props, winners against the spread, or straight-up picks on the Moneyline.
Additionally, you can blend multiple picks from the same game into a Same Game Parlay (SGP) or mix them together from multiple games. You can even combine picks from multiple sports to create massive SGPx (Same Game Parlay Extra)!
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