Anyone who had a parlay card on Sunday was most likely ripping it up, as NFL underdogs dashed the hopes of many gamblers on Week 14. The sportsbooks definitely got the better end of the day. Jeff Stoneback, director of trading for MGM Resorts Race and Sportsbook, said it was the second best day of the season.
The biggest hit for gamblers was Houston, Buffalo, New England, and Denver, all of whom were favored and lost outright. The Texans were a 4.5-point favorite against Indianapolis, but saw their nine-game win streak snapped, 24-21.
“We’re good. I mean, it’s the NFL,every game is tough,†Texans quarterback DeShaun Watson said. “It’s tough to go on a two-game winning streak. We went on nine. Today it ended, but it’s a new task to put this game behind us. It’s no panic button for us. We’ll keep moving and try to flip the script next week and get back to the winning column.â€
The Bills were a 4.5-point pick and lost to the New York Jets, 27-23. New England was an 8.5-point selection and was upset by Miami, 34-33. Denver was giving away three points and couldn’t defeat San Francisco, losing 20-14.
Didn’t Lose, but Didn’t Cover
Two AFC leaders let down bettors on Sunday, as the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers both won their games, but failed to cover. The Chiefs were favored by 6.5-points against the Ravens and won, 27-24.
The Chargers had to give away 16 points to the Cincinnati Bengals, and couldn’t come close to covering, winning, 26-21.
It is possible the two were looking ahead to this week when they face each other at Arrowhead Stadium. The home team Chiefs opened as a 3.5—point pick.
Worst Performance by a Favorite
Pittsburgh probably had the most disappointing performance as a favorite. The Steelers were laying 10 against the Oakland Raiders on the road. They were without running back James Connor, and starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger sat out most of the second half with a rib injury, but miscues throughout the game cost Pittsburgh an easy win.
“It’s just tough,†Steelers guard David DeCastro told the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. “There’s still a lot ahead of us. We’ll see what this team is made of, next week for sure.â€
Bad Beat of the Week
Those that had the over of 45.5 in the Dallas-Philadelphia game were feeling pretty confident until about midway through the fourth quarter. After scoring 18 points through 52 minutes of play, the teams went on a touchdown binge that sunk bettors.
It began at 7:46 of the fourth quarter when Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott found wide receiver Amari Cooper for a 28-yard touchdown pass to give the Cowboys a 16-9 lead.
Philadelphia answered four minutes later when quarterback Carson Wentz threw a 3-yard score to tight end Dallas Goedert to tie the game.
It only took 11 seconds for Dallas to regain the lead. Again Prescott and Cooper hooked up, this time for 75 yards.
The Eagles then scored the quarter’s 31st point when Wentz found running back Darren Sproles for a 6-yard pass to tie the game.
Under bettors that managed to get 46 points were also out of luck. Their push became a loss in overtime when Prescott hit Cooper for the duo’s third touchdown pass of the day.
