It was definitely not a good week to bet on an NFL favorite against the spread. Of the 13 games in Week 6, only four of the nine NFL favorites covered against the spread.
Of those nine, seven of them lost outright. Both Los Angeles teams, Atlanta, Dallas, Jacksonville, Cleveland, and Kansas City, were laying points, and all seven of them laid an egg. The two favorites that won, but didn’t cover, were Washington and Carolina.
The biggest loser for bettors was Dallas. The Cowboys were on the road facing the New York Jets and were a seven-point pick. Gamblers bet Dallas heavy, both in money and in tickets written.
At William Hill, 83 percent of the tickets were on Dallas, accounting for 74 percent of the money.
Dallas then went out and lost to the Jets, who finally got quarterback Sam Darnold back. The second-year signal caller had been out for three games because of suffering from mononucleosis.
Bettors didn’t believe Darnold would be 100 percent, and he burned them. He finished 23-32 for 338 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Running back Le’Veon Bell praised his quarterback after the game.
“Sam is a special player,” Bell said. “You’ve got a guy in there who’s able to make plays, get the ball down field and get everybody lined up perfectly, getting them out of the huddle. We’ve been missing that these last couple of weeks.”
NFL Favorite Chargers in Free fall
The Los Angeles Chargers lost their second consecutive game, and fourth on the season. This was a team that had Super Bowl aspirations before the season. Now they look like they could miss the playoffs.
Los Angeles hosted the Steelers, and were six-point picks. The Steelers, using a quarterback that used to be on the practice squad, and was playing in his first NFL game, won, 24-17. Mike Tomlin’s teams are now 7-0-1 against the spread in October games.
The Chargers are now 2-4, tied with Denver for last in the AFC West. They are also 1-4-1 against the spread. Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said the team has to find a way to get back in the playoff hunt.
“Well, we’ve dug ourselves a hole here,†Lynn said. “I still believe in this football team. We dug ourselves in this hole and I believe we’ll dig our way out.â€
Stat of the Week
New Orleans quarterback Teddy Bridgewater improved his record against the spread this season to 4-0. The team was a 2.5-point underdog, but won 13-6 over Jacksonville.
Bridgewater is now 27-7 ATS in his career.
Bad Beat of the Week
The Redskins were ahead in the Winless Bowl, leading Miami 17-10 with two minutes remaining as a six-point favorite. Then it all went south when DeVante Parker scored on an 11-yard pass from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick with six seconds left.
With the spread blown for Washington backers, those that had Miami on the moneyline had a chance to walk away winners. Unfortunately the two-point conversion failed, and those bettors walked away empty handed.