NFL Week 8 was dominated by favorites and overs, normally a recipe for success for the betting public. But upsets by the Dolphins and Jets helped sportsbooks.
Todd Dewey
Todd Dewey covers sports betting for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
tdewey@reviewjournal.com … @tdewey33 on Twitter. 702-383-0354
The Chiefs crushed the Raiders 31-0 as NFL Week 7 favorites went 6-0 ATS in the morning games, and the Broncos scored 33 fourth-quarter points in an historic comeback win over the Giants.
The Raiders closed as 3½-point favorites after sharp money on the Titans caused the line to drop from 6½. The betting public was all in on the home team.
The Titans took advantage of several miscues by the Cardinals en route to a 22-21 comeback win that dealt an unlikely loss to bettors and caused carnage in high-stakes Survivor contests.
The Eagles dealt the Buccaneers their first loss after almost blowing a 24-3 lead, while the Bills held off the Saints in a game that was closer than expected.
The NFL turned sportsbooks into a block party, when four blocked field goals, including two returned for touchdowns, impacted the outcomes of three early games.
NFL money line favorites, which cashed at a better than 70 percent clip last season, went 10-2 on Sunday to help bettors deal sportsbooks a rare losing day.
All four No. 1 seeds have advanced to the Final Four for only the second time since 1985, and Duke and Florida are favored in Saturday’s national semifinals.
Liam McNeeley’s 3-pointer for UConn as time expired in the Huskies’ loss to Florida on Sunday didn’t affect the point spread, but it sure affected the total.
Favorites won 25 of 32 games while going 19-13 against the spread in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. There were a few upsets, but no true bracket busters.
Sportsbooks loved No. 12 seed McNeese State, which stunned Clemson as a 7-point underdog. But books hated the Drake, a popular underdog and that upset Missouri.
NCAA Tournament betting lines moved quickly after the South Point sportsbook posted point spreads on the first 32 games and took bets of up to $10,000 each.
A Caesars Sportsbook bettor won a cool $1 million on the Chiefs after wagering $1.3 million on Kansas City on the money line (-130) in its win over the Bills in the AFC title game.
The Chiefs are 1½-point favorites over the Bills in the AFC title game. The Eagles are favored by 5 over the Commanders in the NFC championship game.
The Bills are consensus 1-point favorites over the Ravens in Sunday’s divisional round playoff game at Buffalo. It’s a rematch of Baltimore’s 35-10 win over Buffalo in Week 4.
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