NFL Week 9 betting recap: Underdogs boost books, burn bettors

A week after NFL favorites dominated for the betting public, underdogs bit back in a big way.

After favorites went 11-2 against the spread in NFL Week 8, underdogs went 8-5 against the spread in Week 9, including five outright wins Sunday.

“We had a great morning. The best morning of the season so far,” Westgate vice president of race and sports John Murray said. “Vikings, Steelers, Panthers all good for us. Titans covering, too.”

The Vikings (+9½) upset the Lions 27-24 in Detroit in quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s return from a right ankle sprain. Minnesota, which had six sacks, erased an early 7-0 deficit and never trailed again.

The Panthers (+13) dealt the Packers a stunning 16-13 loss at Lambeau Field on Ryan Fitzgerald’s 49-yard field goal as time expired.

The Steelers (+3) handed the Colts their second loss in a 27-20 win in which Pittsburgh forced six turnovers and exploded for 24 straight points to erase a 7-0 deficit.

The Titans lost 27-20 to the Chargers but covered as 10-point underdogs after Joey Slye’s 37-yard field goal with 4:19 left cut its deficit to seven.

The Patriots beat the Falcons 24-23 when Atlanta missed an extra point with 4:40 left but failed to cover as 5½-point favorites after squandering most of a 21-7 first-half lead.

“It was one of the better, if not the best Sunday so far of the year,” Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said. “Getting three money line ’dogs to win outright and especially the Vikings game. It just shows there’s so much parity in the league.”

Bills paid off

The Bills upset the Chiefs 28-21 in the afternoon as 2½-point home underdogs in a rematch of last season’s AFC championship game. Buffalo has now won five straight regular-season meetings with Kansas City but has lost four straight in the playoffs.

“The afternoon games were completely overshadowed by the marquee matchup of the week in Buffalo,” Caesars Sportsbook head of football Joey Feazel said. “The difference in handle between the Chiefs and Bills compared to the other two games was astronomical.

“All the results in the afternoon went the customers’ way with two favorites covering and the very popular Bills on the money line.”

Bettors also were all over Buffalo at the Westgate.

“The Chiefs-Bills was actually one of our worst results of the day,” Murray said. “We saw sharp guys on the Bills early in the week and the public loved them late in the week. Kansas City was our biggest afternoon need. Not very often I say that.”

Bettors also loaded up on the game to go over the total, which closed as high as 53½. But it stayed under with only 15 second-half points in what was a big decision in favor of the books.

“The key to the whole afternoon was keeping the Chiefs-Bills game under,” Esposito said. “That was huge for our side of the counter.”

Favorite sides

Favorites that covered Sunday were the 49ers (-2½, beat Giants 34-24), Rams (-14, beat Saints 34-10), Seahawks (-3, beat Commanders 38-14) and Bears (-3, beat Bengals 47-42).

Chicago won a wild shootout that went over the total of 51½ in the third quarter and featured three touchdowns in the final 1:43 and two lead changes in the final minute.

After Joe Flacco threw two touchdown passes to help Cincinnati storm back from a 41-27 deficit and take a 42-41 lead with 54 seconds left, Caleb Williams answered with a 58-yard touchdown pass to Colston Loveland with 17 seconds to go.

“The Bears versus Bengals shootout was great for same game parlay bettors,” Feazel said.

Dog days

The Broncos (+2½) rallied from a 15-7 deficit in an 18-15 win over the Texans capped by Will Lutz’s game-winning 34-yard field goal as time expired.

The Raiders covered as 1½-point home underdogs to the Jaguars but fell to 2-6 after losing 30-29 in overtime when Geno Smith’s 2-point conversion pass was batted down by nose tackle DaVon Hamilton. After Trevor Lawrence scored on a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-goal from the 1 to put Jacksonville up 30-23, Smith threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Brock Bowers, who had a monster game (12 catches, 127 yards, three touchdowns) in his return from a left knee injury. Pete Carroll then went for two and the win, but was denied again.

“Getting the Jaguars to win but not cover really knocked out a lot of Raiders money line bets,” Esposito said. “I thought it was the right call (to go for two) based on your record. It looks like had he elevated the ball, it would’ve been an easy two-point conversion. He had a guy wide open in the end zone.”

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.