Although it’s difficult to back big NFL favorites, bettors keep doing it.
Caesars Sportsbook has an example: A bettor placed $19,000 on the money-line this week. Tampa Bay Buccaneers You can beat the Carolina Panthers At -700 odds. The sportsbook reported that the same bettor placed $19,800 more on the Buccaneers just five minutes later. Their total rider count was $38,800. Tom Brady There is a chance that the Bucs will win just a little over $54,428.
It didn’t go so well.
The Panthers (13.5-point underdogs) stunned the Buccaneers 21-3 on Sunday in the second largest upset of the season point spread-wise. Brady was a double-digit favorite in the last three seasons. This was Brady’s third loss. In his 19 seasons as a Buccaneers double-digit favorite, he lost six times. New England Patriots.
The Panthers won the upset but there was not much money. At 5-1 odds, the $3,000 largest money-line bet was on Carolina at Caesars. However, the Buccaneers accounted for the majority of the action — even from professional bettors.
On Saturday, BetMGM’s sportsbook director stated to the Vegas Sports and Information Network that only five wagers had been placed on the Panthers +13. FanDuel and DraftKings reported that the Buccaneers were in a lopsided matchup ahead of Sunday’s early kickoff. At sportsbook PointsBet 96% of money was wagered on the winner of the game.
“With games like this, many can have fun.” [bettors] You can use it to fill your Sunday parlays as an option for a banker pick. This went down as one the biggest parlay-killers in the season,” Kevin Lawler from PointsBet told ESPN.
“We had great action on the Bucs this week,” WynnBET trader Andy Morrissey said. “So losing outright for us was a great outcome.”
The most affected bettors after Sunday’s loss to the Buccaneers were those who had bet large on Tampa Bay in March right before Brady announced his retirement. Numerous Las Vegas sportsbooks reported placing large Super Bowl bets against the Buccaneers, at odds of upwards to 50-1 on March 10.
Brady announced that he would be returning to the Buccaneers three days later, at Selection Sunday for NCAA men’s Basketball Tournament.
John Murray, executive director at Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, stated that “we were worried about the way bets came in.” “New players signed up on the same date and were all trying to place as many bets as possible on Bucs futures. A few days later Brady announced that he was not retiring. This is a remarkable coincidence. This was concerning and still is. Although the Bucs might not win the Super Bowl or make it to the playoffs this year, being prepared for such situations is always a concern. That’s what you do.
The Buccaneers are now at 18-1 to win Super Bowl.
NFL notables
• Several sportsbooks reported a winning Sunday, but it was not as lucrative as previous weeks. The spread being covered by the Giants and Jets was positive news for the betting public which had just suffered from last week’s loss.
The sportsbooks had the greatest wins with the Packers and Bucs going outright as favorites.
Murray from the SuperBook stated, “Sunday in Nevada was great.” “New Jersey was a different story. Are there any sporting events that the local teams from this region ever lose? Phillies Game 5 [of the NLCS]Phillies pennant; Giants and Jets outright. New Jersey was in for a rough day.
• PointsBet took a $300,000 money-line bet Thursday on the Arizona Cardinals To defeat the New Orleans Saints At -145 odds. The sportsbook claimed it was tied for the biggest NFL bet of this season. It paid off with the Cardinals’ win 42-34.
• The largest reported NFL bets at Caesars Sportsbook this week:
$220,000 Jets -1 (beat Broncos 16,-9)
$220,000 on Titans-2.5 (beat Colts 19,-10)
$192,500 on Chargers-5 (lost to Seahawks 37-223)
(The same bettor also placed seven six figure college football bets, as you can see in the below.
• “The Raiders game was the worst,” Adam Pullen, assistant director of trading for Caesars Sportsbook, said Sunday night. “The afternoon games were good and the morning was very good. Seattle was the worst. The Chargers will be there, but it would be a disaster for all the favorites who win late. With enough cushion from the morning games, we can be optimistic about the night game.
Pullen indicated that Caesars would require either the underdog Steelers, or the underdog Bears (vs. Patriots “Monday Night Football”) in order to cover the spread and avoid a losing week.
The Steelers won the game 16-10 over the Dolphins.
• The Atlanta Falcons The team was unable to cover this spread for the first season in a row, as they fell to 17 to the Cincinnati Bengals.
• Week 8 opening lines, via Caesars Sportsbook:
Buccaneers at Ravens -1.5, 43.5 (Thursday).
Broncos vs. Jaguars -3, 40 (in London)
Cowboys and Bears – -10, 43
Raiders PK 44 at Saints
Panthers at Falcons: 6.5, 40.5
Steelers at Eagles 10.5, 45
Dolphins -4, Lions 50
Cardinals at Vikings -5, 48.5
Notable college football players
• Pac-12 home favorites have been one of the bets in college football this season, going 33-1 outright and 23-10-1 against the spread.
• Notable opening lines, via Circa Sports:
Ohio State -15, Penn State 61.5
Oklahoma State -2, 57.5 at Kansas State
Florida vs. Georgia -21, 51.5
Kentucky at Tennessee -11.
Michigan State at Michigan -21. 51.5
• Caesars Sportsbook reported taking seven six-figure college football bets from a customer this week in Nevada:
$120,000 Arkansas State +7 (lost by Louisiana-Lafayette38-18)
$110,000 on Nevada +7 (lost in San Diego State 23-7).
$110,000 West Virginia +6 (lost in Texas Tech 48-10)
$110,000 Syracuse +14 (lost by Clemson 27-21).
$110,000 Duke +10 (beat Miami 45-21).
$110,000 on North Texas+10 (lost to Texas – San Antonio 31-27)
$110,000 Florida International +14.5 (beat Charlotte 35-15)