Bettors crushed as Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers lose as big favorites
Tom Brady tore into his offensive line during Tampa Bay’s stunning 20-18 loss to the Steelers on Sunday in a video that went viral.
“You’re so much better than the way you’re (expletive) playing,” Brady said.
Countless bettors felt the same way about Brady and Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers as the quarterbacks with a combined seven NFL MVP awards cost them money in losses as two of the biggest favorites on the board.
Pittsburgh beat the Buccaneers as a 9½-point underdog and +375 on the money line, while the Jets whipped the Packers 27-10 as 8-point underdogs and +320 on the money line.
Tampa Bay has lost three of four, and Green Bay has lost back-to-back games to the surprising Jets and Giants.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen more accurate passers in my lifetime than Brady and Rodgers. It’s just shocking to see them struggle so much,” Westgate SuperBook vice president Jay Kornegay said. “But I think it’s more or less a lack of support surrounding them. Tampa Bay’s offensive line and Green Bay’s lack of cohesiveness and timing of the passing game.”
$1M loser
The Bucs and Packers were the biggest losers for bettors, including one Caesars Sportsbook gambler in Nevada who lost $1.05 million on three NFL wagers: $330,000 on Tampa Bay -8, $330,000 on Cleveland -2½ (38-15 loss to New England) and $390,000 on Jacksonville +3 (34-27 loss to Indianapolis).
“This customer is super sharp,” Caesars vice president of trading Craig Mucklow said. “He beat the line on all three. It’s a testament that even if it’s a sharp customer, we still take sizable bets.”
Start spreading the news
The Giants (5-1) and Jets (4-2) cashed their third straight New York-New York money line parlay Sunday and have already surpassed their combined win total from last season when they both finished 4-13.
The Giants erased a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to the Ravens en route to a 24-20 win as 5½-point underdogs and +210 on the money line.
Are the New York teams for real?
“I don’t know if they’re Super Bowl contenders, but they’re definitely playoff contenders,” Caesars assistant director of trading Adam Pullen said. “You can’t argue with that.”
Underdogs went 6-6 ATS with six outright upsets, and unders went 8-3-1.
Bills-Chiefs undermines bettors
Buffalo earned a small measure of revenge for last season’s 42-36 overtime playoff loss at Kansas City when it covered as a 2½-point favorite in a 24-20 win over the Chiefs.
Bettors were split on the side, but overwhelmingly backed the game to go over the total, which was the highest on the board at up to 55. The over was doomed from the start after both teams opened the game with long drives that ended in turnovers en route to a scoreless first quarter.
“We needed the Chiefs. But keeping the Bills-Chiefs game under was as big as the game itself,” Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said. “After what they did in last year’s playoff game, it was an automatic over bet for everyone coming to the counter.”
Bettors who had the Bills -1½ in the first half suffered a bad beat similar to the one in January’s playoff loss at Arrowhead Stadium. After Buffalo scored a touchdown to take a 10-7 lead, the Chiefs took over at their own 28 with 12 seconds left. That was all Patrick Mahomes needed to set up Harrison Butker’s tying 62-yard field goal as time expired.
Survive and advance
Only 382 entrants in the Circa Survivor $1,000-entry contest remain from a starting field of 6,133 in the quest for the $6 million grand prize. Forty-three entrants have the Chargers over the Broncos on “Monday Night Football.”
Of the 718 entrants that survived to Week 6, 336 were eliminated, including 123 on Tampa Bay, 102 on Green Bay, 60 on San Francisco and 31 on Baltimore.
“When you look at this league from week to week, there continues to be so much parity,” Esposito said. “It’s tougher to figure out every single week.
“The Bills, right now, look to be the best team in the AFC. But there are only four teams in the NFC over .500. The Niners, Rams, Bucs and Packers are all 3-3. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Packers didn’t make the playoffs.”
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.
