Las Vegas sportsbooks follow worst NFL Sunday with best

The good news for bettors is that it’s their turn to win next week.

That is, if a recent trend of sportsbooks and bettors alternating big weeks continues in this emotional roller coaster of an NFL season.

Two weeks ago, the books had their best day of the year. Last week was their worst. But books won big again Sunday as underdogs went 8-3 ATS with six outright wins heading into Cowboys-Eagles on “Sunday Night Football.”

“It was our best day of the year,” MGM Resorts director of trading Jeff Stoneback said.

The biggest losers for the betting public were the Green Bay Packers, who lost 28-22 to the Minnesota Vikings as 6-point favorites at Lambeau Field; and the Tennessee Titans, who lost 31-20 to the Cincinnati Bengals as 7-point road favorites after the line opened at 4.

It was only the second win each for the Vikings (2-5) and Bengals (2-5-1) and only the second loss each for the Packers (5-2) and Titans (5-2).

“The Vikings beating the Packers was probably our best decision of the season,” Westgate sportsbook vice president Jay Kornegay said. “They basically had the Packers across the board, in teasers and money-line parlays.

“The NFL has been very difficult to handicap this year. It usually is but especially this year. Teams have taken on different personalities. There’s the COVID factor, with some teams missing practices. It’s been very difficult.”

The Dolphins’ 28-17 upset of the Rams as 3½-point underdogs in quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s first career start was another big game for BetMGM.

MGM also won on the Steelers’ 28-24 upset win over the Ravens as 4-point underdogs as a bettor lost a six-figure wager on Baltimore.

Top teams

Pittsburgh (7-0) is the NFL’s only undefeated team, while Kansas City (7-1) and Seattle (6-1) are the only teams with one loss.

“You can make a solid case that the two best teams in football are Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay. I would even put Pittsburgh a tick ahead of Kansas City just because of the way they play defense right now,” Sunset Station sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said. “Seattle’s a tick below Tampa because I give a huge edge defensively to Tampa, taking nothing away from Russell Wilson.”

The Chiefs, Seahawks and Colts were the only three favorites to cover Sunday. “Kansas City closed as -19.5 over the Jets and won by 26 (35-9) after a slow start to keep New York winless (0-8) and 1-7 ATS.

Seattle closed at -1 over the 49ers after the line opened at 3 but sharp action on San Francisco was anything but as the Seahawks won 37-27. A BetMGM bettor lost a pair of six-figure wagers placed Sunday on the 49ers.

“We ended up losing just a little on that game because the public was on the Seahawks,” Stoneback said.

Indianapolis closed at -3 over Detroit and cruised to a 41-21 win.

Carr covers in cold

The Raiders improved to 4-3 with a 16-6 victory at Cleveland as quarterback Derek Carr won for only the second time in 12 games when the temperature was 45 degrees or colder at kickoff.

Bettors were all over Las Vegas, which closed at +1 after the line opened at 3 and rewarded their backers.

“This is the first week since Week 1 we were rooting against the Raiders. We’ve been rooting for the Raiders five straight weeks,” Esposito said. “Both times we weren’t Raiders fans were when they played road games at Carolina and Cleveland. The public was all over the Raiders in both cases.”

Sharp money on the under drove down the Raiders-Browns total from 55½ to 47½ and it cashed easily in the cold, wind, rain and snow.

Back-door cover

The Broncos, who closed as 3-point home underdogs to the Chargers, rallied from a 24-3 second-half deficit en route to a 31-30 win to deal Los Angeles bettors a tough loss and give their backers a miracle cover.

Drew Lock, who threw three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, threw an incomplete pass on fourth down as time expired. But a pass interference penalty on the Chargers gave Denver one more chance and Lock delivered a 1-yard TD pass to K.J. Hamler for the win and cover.

L.A. opened as a 1½-point home favorite over Las Vegas in Week 9.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.