Cutler’s move leads to two losers

A bitter divorce between the Denver Broncos and young quarterback Jay Cutler made both sides look bad over the summer. The Broncos traded away their future, and were expected to suffer for it, and Cutler was portrayed as a crybaby.

The betting public followed the story and saw two losers.

On the first Sunday of the NFL's roller-coaster ride, wagering was heavy against Cutler's former team and his new team, the Chicago Bears. The decision was split.

At the end of the day, after throwing four interceptions in his Bears debut at Green Bay, Cutler probably wanted to cry. He was the biggest loser.

Earlier, the Broncos won as road underdogs, hurting the betting public on a day when the sports books otherwise took a beating.

"The players got the best of it today," Las Vegas Hilton sports book director Jay Kornegay said.

There was one big exception, and it was the Broncos, who stunned the Cincinnati Bengals 12-7 on Brandon Stokley's fluke 87-yard touchdown reception with 11 seconds remaining.

The Bengals closed as 5-point favorites at some sports books, after bettors drove the line up about two points in the past two weeks. The point-spread decision was not in doubt, but Stokley's catch off a deflected pass made Denver one of only three underdogs to win outright in Week 1.

Kornegay said even the wiseguys wanted no action on the Broncos.

"It was all Bengals money. I think the little money that came in on the Broncos was from people wearing orange and blue," Kornegay said. "The only things you heard out of Denver were negative. There was nothing positive. So I'm not sure why you would consider betting the Denver side."

Kornegay paused and said, "But the Bengals laying 41/2 points against anyone is inviting. They are so inept."

NFL betting might be 60 percent handicapping skill and 40 percent luck -- those percentages are up for debate -- and three games served as examples.

The Bears, who closed as high as 5-point underdogs, led 15-13 going into the final two minutes. But Packers bettors had their prayers answered as Aaron Rodgers fired a 50-yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings with 1:11 left. Green Bay added a 2-point conversion and, after Cutler threw another interception, miraculously covered the spread with a 21-15 win at Lambeau Field.

The New York Giants, 61/2-point home favorites, appeared to be the winning side. But we were fooled again. Jason Campbell's 17-yard pass to Chris Cooley with 1:30 left got the Washington Redskins in the back door with a 23-17 loss.

Underdog bettors had to feel secure about the Kansas City Chiefs, who closed as 13-point 'dogs at Baltimore. A game that was tied with over two minutes to go turned into a 38-24 victory for the Ravens, and going into the details of how it ended would just further torture those who backed the Chiefs.

The Ravens were among eight favorites to cover, joining Atlanta, Dallas, Green Bay, Minnesota, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Seattle.

"There were negative results," Kornegay said. "Even though we're going to end up losing, it's a good day for us because of all the people coming out."

A lot of those people bet on the Packers, and many of them will be on New England and San Diego tonight.

"The parlay liability is adding up," Kornegay said. "There definitely is going to be liability out there (today) on those two big favorites."

The Patriots are 11-point home favorites over the Buffalo Bills. The best bet, according to professional gambler Steve Fezzik, is to take the Bills under their regular-season win total.

"Buffalo under 71/2 wins is a great bet," Fezzik said. "The Bills look terrible. They just can't score at all."

Fezzik, who said, "I can't lay more than 10 points in the NFL," is tempted to lay 91/2 points with the Chargers at Oakland.

"I think San Diego is going to the Super Bowl. I think Oakland is going under six wins," Fezzik said. "There is no price I want Oakland at because the Chargers will kill them in this game. Even though it opened 61/2, the right side at 9 is still San Diego.

"If you can lay less than 10 with San Diego, go ahead and do it. The spot to bet the Raiders was Week 1 in the preseason, and that was the only spot."

With some luck, the favorites should cover tonight.

Contact Las Vegas Review-Journal sports betting columnist Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.