NFL home teams pulled off a rare 12-0 victory against the spread, including a surprise victory by the Los Angeles Chargers, who shocked bettors by beating Green Bay. The Chargers were one of four home underdogs that won outright. The others were Kansas City, Miami, and Denver. The Jacksonville-Houston game was played in London.
Green Bay was a 4-point pick over the Chargers, despite being on the road. The public was backing the Packers. Fan Duel reported that 95 percent of the bets on the game were on Green Bay, with them getting 89 percent of the money.
Bet Labs had an interesting stat about large percentages on teams. Since 2003, teams getting 80 percent or more of the bets have gone 95-116-9 against the spread.
Packers Blitzed by Chargers
Fan Duel wasn’t the only sportsbook that had major liability on Green Bay. Scott Shelton, manager at the Mirage sportsbook, told Covers.com that they were heavily bet.
“This game is completely one-sided. Sharps and [the] public are piling on the Packers. Ticket count is 15/1, money is 17/1,†Shelton said. “Parlays and moneyline parlays also loom large.â€
William Hill also reported that 87 percent of the tickets were on the Packers, along with 91 percent of the money. Many thought the Packers wouldn’t be upset by the home team.
As it turned out, Green Bay never had a chance, losing 26-11. The Packers were 7-1 on the season, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers told reporters he hopes the loss serves as a wake-up call for the team.
“We’re kind of rolling, 7-1, and starting to listen to the chatter maybe a little too much†Rodgers said. “I think this will be a good thing for us. We’ll regroup, go back home, and play another good team [Carolina] before the bye.”
Ravens Final NFL Home Team to Cover
Baltimore was a 3-point underdog at home against undefeated New England, and found several ways to reward gamblers. The first was the side bet of who would score the first touchdown in the game. Quarterback Lamar Jackson was at 12/1, and his first-quarter scamper into the end zone paid off for bettors.
The second was on the spread. The Ravens won outright, and it was the second straight time they covered. They are now 3-4-1 on the season.
The third winning bet was on the moneyline. The Ravens were +145. Baltimore’s 37 points also helped hit the over, which was 44.5.
New England coach Bill Belichick told reporters after the game that there was plenty of blame to go around in the team’s first defeat of the season.
“We’ve all got to do a better job. That includes everybody — period,” Belichick said. “We competed out there, but it just wasn’t good enough. We all have to do a better job, starting with me.”
Bettor Walks with $1 Million
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for bettors on Sunday. One unidentified gambler made three bets at William Hill that paid off for a cool $1.173 million. He took the Chargers and the Steelers, and plunked down $910,000, turning a profit of $810,000.
Then he grabbed the Ravens, placing a $400,000 wager. When they won, he walked away with an additional $363,600 profit.
Stat of the Week
Seattle coach Pete Carroll thrives against the league’s top run defenses. The Seahawks are 13-3 ATS against opponents that allow an average of 3.5 or fewer yards per rushing attempt, including Sunday’s victory over Tampa Bay, .
