NFL gets season win total bets to finish line

The first sweat for NFL season win total bets was simply getting through the season.

Teams had to play all 16 games for bets to stand, something that seemed increasingly unlikely midway through the season as games were shuffled to Tuesday and even Wednesday because of coronavirus outbreaks.

A shortened season would have meant a lot of refunds.

“I’m glad everything worked out,” Sunset Station sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said. “There was definitely some doubt.”

The NFL persevered, and the season ended on time, leaving bettors with winnings to count or losses to write off.

Two of the biggest winners for the public were Buffalo and Tampa Bay, Esposito said. The Bills bounded over their win total of 8½, finishing 13-3 to earn the No. 2 seed in the AFC. The Buccaneers went 11-5 in their first season with quarterback Tom Brady to clear their total of 9½.

“There was a lot of play on the Bills to win the AFC East and go over their win total,” Esposito said. “And when the Bucs signed Brady, they took a lot of over money.”

But dreadful seasons for San Francisco and Dallas worked out for the house, Esposito said. The 49ers, last season’s Super Bowl runners-up, had the third-highest win total at 10½, but they went 6-10 after a series of injuries, including to quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and tight end George Kittle.

The Cowboys tied for the fifth-highest win total at 9½, but they lost quarterback Dak Prescott and didn’t play much defense while stumbling to 6-10.

Other easy win total overs included Green Bay (over 9 with 13 wins), Pittsburgh (over 9 with 12), Cleveland (over 8 with 11) and Miami (over 6½ with 10).

Other easy win total unders included Philadelphia (under 9 with four wins), Houston (under 8½ with four), Atlanta (under 7½ with four) and Jacksonville (under 4½ with one).

The most dramatic result involved the Raiders, who went over 7½ by claiming a 32-31 victory at Denver on Sunday. Darren Waller caught a 2-point conversion pass from Derek Carr with 24 seconds remaining to secure the win.

“That kept many people on the edge of their seat,” Esposito said. “There was good two-way action for us on the Raiders. Bettors had to wait for the last play of the season.”

The uncertainty created by the pandemic did affect some of the handle on win totals, Esposito said.

“They generated good action, but it was a little flat in comparison to last year,” he said. “(Bettors) just didn’t know for sure.”

In addition to helping the Buccaneers go over their win total, Brady cashed overs on most of his personal props. The 43-year-old hit overs on passing yards (4,200½ with 4,633), TD passes (29½ with 40), interceptions (8½ with 12) and touchdown runs (1½ with three).

His only under came in rushing yards (19½); he ran for 6.

Contact Jim Barnes at jbarnes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0277. Follow @JimBarnesLV on Twitter.