All four of the home favorites failed to cover on NFL wildcard weekend, giving underdog backers a rare sweep in the first round of the playoffs. It was even better news for those that backed the moneyline on those four, as three of them won outright.
The Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Indianapolis Colts all covered their respective spreads, with the Chargers, Eagles, and Colts winning outright.
That biggest payout for the moneyline was the Eagles. They were at +240 and won 16-15 when Chicago’s kicker Cody Parker watched his game-winning, 43-yard field goal hit off the left upright.
“I thought I hit a good ball, and unfortunately I didn’t make it,†Parkey said. “I feel terrible. I, 100 percent take that loss on me. It is what it is. But sun’s gonna shine tomorrow, life’s gonna go on. And unfortunately it’s going to sting for a while.â€
Philadelphia also easily covered the spread. They were getting 6.5 points at most sportsbooks. Bettors didn’t have a lot of confidence in the defending Super Bowl champions on both the money line or the spread. The Eagles were 6-9-1 against the spread this season before the playoffs, and at William Hill, only 51 percent of the money was on the underdog, the lowest of the four games.
Chargers Reward Gamblers
Los Angeles, who before the playoffs was the third pick to win the Super Bowl at 7/1, was an underdog going into Baltimore. The Chargers had lost to the Ravens in Week 16, 22-10, and were getting 2.5 points in this game. They were also a +135 on the moneyline.
They stymied rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson and had built a 23-3 lead before Baltimore’s Jackson brought the team within six points before running out of time.
San Diego coach Anthony Lynn said playing the team three weeks ago definitely helped them prepare against Baltimore’s offense.
”We did a good job of staying in the rush lanes and containing him,” Lynn said. ”The more times you see that offense, the better you’re going to do against it.”
Colts Continue Hot Streak
There might not be a more dangerous team than the Indianapolis Colts, and that definitely rewarded bettors. The team was a 1.5-point underdog against Houston, but easily covered, winning 21-7.
The team, which has now won 10 of its last 11 games, is 7-3-1 ATS, and now 2-0 when getting points.
Luck returned this season from a shoulder injury that threatened his career, and said he is enjoying the streak.
“It’s been fun,†Luck said. “The message has always been ‘How are we getting better this day?’ It’s never been results-focused. We have goals, but it’s always about what are we doing to get to that goal and the cycle of the day and the week and getting the most out of each other. It’s been fulfilling because we’ve kept getting better and better and better, and it’s been very energizing.â€
Seattle’s Back Door Cover
The only road team that didn’t win outright was Seattle, and they needed some last-minute heroics just to cover the 2.5-point spread. They were down 24-14 when the Seahawks scored a touchdown with 1:19 remaining.
With kicker Sebastian Janikowski sidelined with an injured thigh, the team was forced to go for two on the conversion and made it, killing the tickets of Cowboy backers
