Three of the four NFL leaders against the spread faltered on Sunday, as Buffalo, New Orleans, and Green Bay, failed to cover. The Rams were the only NFL leader against the spread that covered.
Buffalo, who had the best overall record against the spread at 8-3-1, narrowly failed to cover. The Bills were getting 6.5 points, but lost to Baltimore at home, 24-17, missing the cover by half-a-point. It was the most heavily bet game at William Hill sportsbooks, with 18 percent of the total money bet being put on that game. Of that amount, 80 percent was on the Ravens.
Dave Mason at BetOnline put out a tweet saying bettors were all over Baltimore.
“Not even close… The Ravens are our biggest liability today so far. Only 32% of the cash is on the Bills +6. Tons of volume,†Mason wrote.
Three other teams – the Saints, Rams and Packers – were 8-4 against the spread, but only Los Angeles covered. The Rams were a 1-point favorite at home against Seattle, and crushed the Seahawks in the Sunday night game, 28-12.
It was the second time the NFC West rivals have met this season. In the first game, the Seahawks were favored by 1.5 points at home, and won 30-29, but the Rams covered.
Mirage sportsbook shift manager Scott Shelton told Covers.com that the public and sharps had a different opinion on who was going to win.
“This is definitely a Pros vs. Joes game,†Shelton said. “The public is all over the Seahawks, and this is the most-heavily-bet straight-bet game.”
Saints, Packers Fail to Cover Against the Spread
New Orleans was a 1.5-point pick against San Francisco at home. The 49ers came into the game 4-0 against the spread when they were an underdog. They kept their record flawless, beating the Saints outright, 48-46. The win also gave the 49ers the lead in the NFC West.
San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters after the game that the matchup was as fun for him as it was for fans.
“That was as cool of a game as I’ve been a part of,” Shanahan said. “A lot of emotions back and forth. It’ll probably hit me a little bit harder when I get on the plane. The guys just kept battling.â€
Green Bay was supposed to have an easy time with Washington, but the 3-9 Redskins decided to make a game of it. The Packers were 13-point favorites at home, and those who had Green Bay were looking good as the Packers led 14-0 after the first quarter.
The euphoria didn’t last long, however. Washington outscored Green Bay 15-6 the rest of the way to reward Redskins backers. The sportsbooks won that one, as most of the money was on Green Bay. Caesars said 71 percent of the money was on the Packers, while 66 percent of the cash bet on the game at William Hill was on the Packers.
Lamar Jackson Prop Bet Pays Off
Bovada set the line at 860 rushing yards as the over/under Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson would gain this year. Jackson hit the over two games ago, and on Sunday against Buffalo, joined Michael Vick as only the second quarterback to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a single season.
Stat of the Week
Kansas City is now 5-1 straight up and 6-0 against the spread over its past six games as a road underdog versus AFC opponents, with all six games going over the total.
