Sportsbooks ride upsets to ‘best Sunday so far’ of NFL season
There are no gimmes in the NFL.
Bettors learned that the hard way for the second straight Sunday, as five underdogs pulled off outright upsets and four previously 1-5 teams earned their second win.
A week after the Browns stunned the 49ers and the Jets beat the Eagles, the Patriots (2-5) pulled off the biggest shocker with a 29-25 win over the Bills as 7½-point underdogs.
“This is the best Sunday so far. This one outperformed last Sunday,” Westgate SuperBook vice president Jay Kornegay said. “The Patriots’ win basically knocked out every teaser and money-line parlay out there.”
After New England blew a 22-10 fourth-quarter lead, Mac Jones threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Mike Gesicki with 12 seconds left to make Bill Belichick the third coach in NFL history with 300 regular-season victories.
Buffalo fell to 4-3 and could easily be 3-4 after needing a goal-line stand with no time remaining to beat the Giants last week.
“It was definitely a surprising loss, even though there are no surprises in the NFL,” Caesars Sportsbook assistant director of trading Adam Pullen said. “The NFL is the most unpredictable thing you can bet on, in my opinion.”
Bears rout Raiders
The other teams that won for the second time this season were the Bears (+2), who blew out the Raiders 30-12 in undrafted rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent’s first start; the Giants (+3), who held off the Commanders 14-7; and the Broncos (-1½), who edged the Packers 19-17 on Wil Lutz’s 52-yard field goal with 3:50 left.
“Even though the Raiders-Bears game might not look like a marquee matchup on the surface, it was still a big decision. A lot of Raiders money came in,” Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said. “The two biggest morning decisions, by far, were the Patriots and the Giants, and we got them both.
“It was one of the best Sundays of the season for our side.”
Dog day afternoon
Underdogs went 6-5 against the spread.
The Steelers (+3½) dealt bettors their biggest loss in the afternoon games, scoring the game’s final 14 points in a 24-17 win at the Los Angeles Rams. Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett got a generous spot to convert a fourth-and-1 at the Los Angeles 38 on the final snap before the two-minute warning that allowed the Steelers to run out the clock.
The Falcons (+3) outlasted the Buccaneers 16-13 on Younghoe Koo’s 51-yard field goal as time expired.
The Westgate’s biggest win was on the Ravens’ 38-6 romp over the Lions (+3), a popular public underdog that fell to 5-2.
“They were all over the Lions on the money line and taking the points,” Kornegay said. “That was probably our biggest decision of the day. We were fortunate to be on the right side of that one.
“The Lions were probably due a soft spot. However, I expect them to bounce back next week.”
Kornegay said that before realizing the Raiders are on deck for Detroit next week on “Monday Night Football.” The Lions are 7½-point home favorites.
“That’s not going to be a good spot for the Raiders,” he said.
The biggest wins for bettors were on the Chiefs (-5½), who whipped the Chargers 31-17, and the Seahawks (-9), who beat the Cardinals 20-10.
Under armor
A week after unders went 12-2-1, wagering on unders again proved profitable Sunday at 7-4.
The Eagles (-3) beat the Dolphins 31-17 on “Sunday Night Football” as Caesars bettors lost money-line bets on Miami of $242,000 and $136,000, a spread bet of $158,000 and a $143,000 wager on over the total of 51½.
“We want the under more than anything,” Caesars vice president of trading Craig Mucklow said before the game.
Over bettors needed Philadelphia to score a TD in the final minutes to cash their tickets after the Eagles took over at the Dolphins 25 with 3:19 left. D’Andre Swift broke loose on second down for a 22-yard run but was tackled at the 6 before the two-minute warning.
Philadelphia then ran out the clock to close out another frustrating Sunday for bettors.
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.
