NFL, CFB Weekend Recap: Chiefs’ Loss Was ‘Best Result For The Book’

Sunday was less than ideal for the public betting masses, with underdogs and Unders making it a rough day in NFL Week 7 odds. Then bettors tried to drag the car out of the ditch by backing a trendy underdog on Sunday night. “They were dreaming of a Chiefs win to get them out. But all that did was make things worse,” BetMGM trading manager Adair Horne said Sunday night. Oddsmakers from Las Vegas and across the country chimed in to recap the weekend that was in NFL and college football betting. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. At BetMGM, the Chiefs were among the most popular teams to cover the spread on Sunday, by both tickets and money. By ticket count, Kansas City was the most-bet moneyline underdog, with the public optimistic about a modest road upset in Seattle. But K.C. didn’t even score until the final two minutes of the third quarter, and even then, it was only a field goal — a 50-yarder from Harrison Butker. And that was it, as the 3-point underdog Chiefs lost to the Seahawks 20-3. “The best result for the book was Seattle [beating] the Chiefs,” Horne said. “We started the day with three undefeated teams, and two of them lost outright. And the other one failed to cover.” Along with the Chiefs (5-1), the 49ers (6-1) took their first loss of the year. And like K.C., San Francisco was a popular point-spread play, as a 2.5-point favorite at Atlanta. San Fran seemed on its way to 7-0 after taking a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter. But the Falcons scored the next 23 points en route to a 29-20 victory. The Vikings made it to 6-0, edging the Colts in a rock fight, 16-10. But as Horne alluded to, Minnesota didn’t cover as a 7-point home favorite. In Sunday’s first game, in Paris, the Steelers managed to win and cover in a 16-10 victory as 3-point favorites vs. the Saints. But then, in the 1 p.m. ET kickoffs, things went downhill for a few key favorites — and for the betting masses. The 49ers’ loss put the first dent in the ever-popular moneyline parlays. But perhaps as notable, the Giants — a 10.5-point road underdog — beat the Texans 27-21 in overtime. Houston, the largest favorite in Week 7, was pretty much considered a free Bingo space in moneyline parlays, just as the Rams were in Week 6 and the Cowboys in Week 5. So that’s three straight weeks in which the largest favorite on the board lost outright. The Panthers were 3-point home favorites vs. the Buccaneers, who welcomed back QB Baker Mayfield from a dislocated thumb. Carolina turned it over four times, including a scoop-and-score fumble for a touchdown, and got throttled 42-13. And the previously winless Dolphins, 3.5-point road underdogs to the Jets, notched a 28-25 upset. “The early slate was favorable overall, with several popular moneyline parlays running into trouble,” Caesars Sports head of football trading Joey Feazel said. “The Giants’ overtime upset of Houston and Atlanta’s win over San Francisco eliminated the second- and third-most-popular moneyline legs, while Tampa Bay’s blowout of Carolina removed another heavily backed selection. “Indianapolis covering against Minnesota also helped. And although Miami’s win was not the side we needed, it still knocked out a popular Jets moneyline [parlay] leg.” Added Horne, speaking more to the whole day: “Plenty of Unders hit, and very few favorites covered the spread. And the ones that did didn’t have the public on their side.” The Lions beat the Packers 20-17 on a final-second field goal, but didn’t cover as 3.5-point home favorites. The Rams easily covered as 3.5-point road favorites vs. the Raiders, winning 35-21. But Las Vegas was the more popular side on Sunday, so BetMGM won to that result. As for those Unders: The Over was 7-5 in Sunday’s 12 games, but the Unders came in some of the most significant matchups. Packers-Lions closed with the highest total of the week — and of the season, for that matter — at 55.5, and the public was all over the Over. No chance. Ditto for Chiefs-Seahawks, where bettors fully expected the game would easily surpass the 43.5 total. It barely got to half of that. The Bengals were the one team that really delivered for the public. A week ago, Cincinnati opened as a 3-point road underdog vs. Baltimore. But that number kept moving toward Cincy, as it became clear that Ravens QB Lamar Jackson (ankle) would miss another game. By the time kickoff arrived on Sunday, the Bengals were 3-point favorites, a 6-point line swing. Cincy promptly dug itself into a 13-0 halftime hole, and it looked as if the betting masses would take it on the chin there, too. But the Bengals did the rest of the scoring, sparked by four Joe Burrow TD passes, to post a 35-13 blowout. That was a boon not only for pregame bettors, but for many who jumped on the in-game moneyline when the Bengals trailed. “The Bengals delivered for bettors from every angle,” Feazel said. “Cincinnati was well-backed before kickoff, and after Baltimore opened a 13–0 lead, we were licking our chops, while Bengals bettors found even better prices in-play. “Cincinnati then scored 35 unanswered points, cashing both the pregame and live support in emphatic fashion. It was a costly result. But the parlay disruption created by the Giants, Falcons and Buccaneers helped the book withstand it.” Sunday was National Tight Ends Day, for those who celebrate it. Judging by the action, the public was ready to party. But with the 49ers’ George Kittle — easily the most popular tight end among bettors — failing to find the end zone, that party was a bust. “National Tight Ends Day generated plenty of action, but the book avoided having to pick up the celebration tab,” Feazel said. “George Kittle led all player props by a country mile, in both money and ticket count, to score a touchdown. But he was kept out of the end zone, ultimately landing a key result for the book.” That said, a few lesser-light tight ends delivered wins for the few who bet on them. Jets tight end Mason Taylor was +4000 to score two touchdowns, but did so. Rams tight end Davis Allen paid even bigger dividends at +8500 to score two touchdowns. A $100 bet on that prop would’ve netted $,8500 profit. College football Week 8 odds proved to be give-and-take between bettors and bookmakers. Unlike Week 7, when the sportsbooks posted a huge win. “It was a so-so Saturday for the book,” BetMGM trading manager Seamus Magee said. “Funny enough, our best result of the day was South Carolina outright on the in-play [market]. We took a lot of live Tennessee money there.” The Vols trailed 14-0 just seven minutes into the first quarter. That’s when the in-game Tennessee support started rolling in, hoping for the Vols to come back and win the game outright as 2.5-point road underdogs. The rally came quickly, with Tennessee actually taking a 21-17 halftime lead. But in a much lower-scoring second half, the Vols netted only a fourth-quarter field goal, and South Carolina won 27-24 on a 48-yard field goal as time expired. Also key for the bookmakers: Sizable underdogs Cincinnati and Central Florida winning outright. Cincy was a 10.5-point home underdog and punched out Texas Tech 37-24. UCF topped BYU in a wild one, winning 39-31 in double overtime as a 7.5-point home ‘dog. But the public found its way to a couple notable wins. “LSU and Miami covering were two big results for bettors on Saturday,” he said. LSU was a 7-point road favorite vs. Auburn, which was coming off its shocking road win over Georgia. But in a Tigers vs. Tigers battle, LSU was the no-contest winner, leading 31-10 at half and coasting to a 38-17 victory. Miami, which got a huge Week 7 scare from Florida State, put Pittsburgh in a 31-7 hole by halftime and rumbled to a 52-23 victory as a 20.5-point home favorite.