The NFL is calling this “Super Wild Card Weekend,” with the expanded playoffs meaning six first-round playoff games instead of the usual four. While the schedule is tailored for television, it’s a major victory for sportsbooks as well.

I love the way they’re positioned, with games at 10 o’clock, 1:40, 5:15 (Pacific), so plenty of spacing in between the games and plenty of time for the bettors to get their bets in for the game following. I’m excited about these games, and I know the bettors will be, also,” said Johnny Avello, the director of race and sportsbook for DraftKings, to Casino.org.

To cap it off, it will be Ohio State vs. Alabama – two traditional powerhouses – on Monday night to determine the champion of college football.

Wild NFL Weekend

On Saturday, the Indianapolis Colts are 6.5-point underdogs at the Buffalo Bills, the Los Angeles Rams are 3-point underdogs at Seattle, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 8-point favorites at Washington.

On Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens are 3-point favorites at the Tennessee Titans, the Chicago Bears are 10-point underdogs at the New Orleans Saints, and the Cleveland Browns are 6-point underdogs at the Pittsburgh Steelers.

I expect demand to be very big,” said John Sheeran, the director of trading for FanDuel Sportsbook, to Casino.org. “The format of the games over the weekend, with no competing college football, means we expect huge interest. Probably comparable turnover despite just 40 percent of the slate.”

The survivors will advance to next weekend’s divisional round. The top seeds in each conference, the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC and the Green Bay Packers in the NFC, received first-round byes. At FanDuel, the Chiefs are the favorite to win the Super Bowl at +220, while Green Bay is next at +470.

Questions for Rams, Browns

In Saturday’s Seahawks-Rams game, the big question revolves around the availability of Rams quarterback Jared Goff. He recently had thumb surgery, but did practice this week.

I don’t think it matters, I really don’t,” Avello said. “His last three or four games of the year, he just hasn’t played that well. Maybe this guy [backup John Wolford] is as good, and he gives them some mobility, for sure. Defense is what they’re all about. They need to shut down Seattle, whose offense hasn’t been all that great.”

In Sunday’s Browns-Steelers game, the big question centers on Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski, who is in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19.

To Avello, the loss of the coach – a leading Coach of the Year candidate – is more important than the loss of the player, even someone like Goff, who plays the most important position and has reached a Super Bowl in his young career.

“It’s interesting, because it doesn’t happen too often,” he said. “Remember when it was announced that (Alabama’s) Nick Saban had COVID and he was going to be out for the Georgia game? The game went from 6 down to 4.5. Then, when it was announced that he was going to be on the sideline, we were back up to 6. That’s a coach that really makes a difference. I think Stefanski makes a difference. He’s done a good job.”

At FanDuel, Saturday’s Indianapolis-Buffalo game is the most lopsided, with 83 percent of the spread money on the Bills. Sunday’s Baltimore-Tennessee game has the most two-way betting, with 59 percent of the money on the Ravens.

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The Chiefs were the Super Bowl favorites entering the NFL season, and they’re the favorites heading into the playoffs.

The Packers, with presumptive MVP Aaron Rodgers, finished 13-3 to gain the No. 1 seed in the NFC. They are +450 at PointsBet, +500 at William Hill, +550 at BetMGM, and +600 at Westgate SuperBook.

Super Bowl Championship Odds

While it’s not reflected in the odds, the Chiefs might have the more difficult path to the championship. The AFC is the superior conference, and the Chiefs have struggled a bit. Before losing last week with superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes getting the day off, each of their last seven wins had come by six points or less.

?The Packers have an easier path through the NFC than anybody in the AFC, with the Chiefs having to deal with the Bills and the Ravens and the Steelers,” said Andrew Mannino, the senior sports content analyst at PointsBet, to Casino.org. “In the NFC, Seattle’s a very good team, New Orleans is a very good team. But I think this is shaping up to be Green Bay’s conference.”

At William Hill, Kansas City leads the way in the number of tickets (12 percent) and total dollars wagered (25 percent).

“We expect Kansas City to be favored no matter who they play, and I’d imagine that bettors will be getting behind them,” Mannino said. “I think people really like Buffalo. They’ve got a few guys putting up highlight-reel performances week after week, and it just feels like a special year for Buffalo, and I think bettors are responding to that.”

Extra Playoff Games

The NFL added two teams to the playoffs as a way to produce extra revenue. That was good news for the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears, who would have had their lockers cleaned out by now. It’s also good news for sportsbooks. Rather than four games on Wild Card Weekend, there will be six games on what’s being called Super Wild Card Weekend.

Because of the typical Week 17 uncertainty over which stars would play and which stars would sit, handle at PointsBet was down 20 percent compared to the previous week. That will more than rebound this week with a two-day extravaganza of playoff games.

There’s sort of an attitude that I think goes along with fantasy football, where people shy away from Week 17,” Mannino said. “They assume starters won’t be playing on good teams, so they don’t have the same confidence in betting on winning teams that they do during the rest of the regular season and the playoffs. We expect it to bounce up significantly for the wild-card round.”

On Saturday, the Indianapolis Colts will play at the Buffalo Bills, the Seattle Seahawks will host the Los Angeles Rams, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will visit the Washington Football Team.

On Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens will visit the Tennessee Titans, the New Orleans Saints will host the Chicago Bears, and the Cleveland Browns will play at the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Washington-Tampa Bay game will be noteworthy for at least two William Hill bettors. Washington, which won the NFC East with a 7-9 record, is a long shot to win the Super Bowl.

That didn’t stop one bettor from betting $2,000 on Washington at +12500, for a potential payout of $252,000. Another bettor put down $40,000 on Tampa Bay at +1200 for a potential payout of $520,000. Tampa, Fla., is hosting this year’s championship game.

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For some teams, there is a lot riding on Sunday’s games. Entering the final day of the regular season, seven playoff berths are to be claimed. That’s the most available spots entering the season’s final weekend in 31 years.

Other teams can kick up their heels. One of them is the Kansas City Chiefs. With the No. 1 seed in the AFC secured, the defending Super Bowl champions and championship favorites for most of this season will rest some key players, including quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Thus, the Chiefs – who are heavy favorites most weeks – are 4.5-point underdogs at home against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Seven Playoff Spots Up for Grabs

In all, 18 teams – more than half the league – remain in the running for Super Bowl LV. There hasn’t been more than 18 teams in contention entering the final week since there were 20 in 2006.

There’s no Thursday night, no Monday night, and there’s no Saturday games this week. It’s everyone playing at the same time,” said Andrew Mannino, the senior sports content analyst at PointsBet, to Casino.org.

“So much is on the line. Some teams will be resting players and making sure they have no injuries heading into the playoffs. But a lot of teams will be playing for their lives, and a lot of divisions and playoff seedings will be determined on Sunday. It’s going to be a busy day for us with so many games.”

In the AFC, the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, and Tennessee Titans are fighting for four playoff spots. Indianapolis and Tennessee are vying for the up-for-grabs AFC South, as well.

In the NFC, the Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams, New York Giants, and Washington Football Team are in the mix for three playoff spots. Plus, the Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, and Seattle Seahawks have a shot at the No. 1 seed.

The regular season will conclude on Sunday night, with Washington as 4-point favorites at the Philadelphia Eagles. With a victory, Washington would win the laughingstock NFC East with a 7-9 record. If Washington loses, the crown could go to Dallas, so long as it wins at the New York Giants. At FanDuel, 81 percent of the money is on the Cowboys as 1.5-point favorites – the most lopsided game of the week.

Week 17 Schedule

Here is Sunday’s schedule, with lines from PointsBet. As noted by VSIN’s Ben Fawkes, the Denver Broncos are the only team to be an underdog in all 16 games this season. With a 5-10 record, they will fall short of their preseason over/under win total.

The Baltimore Ravens (at Cincinnati Bengals) and Indianapolis Colts (at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars) are the heaviest favorites at -14.

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With each loss, more money was bet on them to become the fourth team in the Super Bowl era to lose every game. Instead, as massive underdogs at the powerful Los Angeles Rams, the Jets sprung the upset of the year last week with a 23-20 victory.

It just kept getting more popular,” said Andrew Mannino, the senior sports content analyst at PointsBet, to Casino.org. “We had a significant liability by the end – right around six figures. The odds kept going down. Especially in New Jersey, Jets fans were hitting it. We’re glad that’s off the books now.

“So much for ‘Tanking for Trevor.’ ”

Week 16 Features Big Sunday

While Week 16 of the NFL season started on Friday and will continue on Saturday, three big Sunday clashes highlight the schedule – one in each viewing window. There is two-way betting on all three games.

If the first wave of games, the Indianapolis Colts (10-4) face the slumping Pittsburgh Steelers (11-3). After starting 11-0, the Steelers have dropped three straight – including against lightweights Washington and Cincinnati.

In the afternoon, the Rams will try to rebound against the Seattle Seahawks (10-4). Both teams are fighting for the NFC West title, while Seattle has a shot at the No. 1 seed and homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. The Seahawks have one of the best offenses in the NFL, while the Rams have arguably the best defense.

The night game is a heavyweight showdown between the Tennessee Titans (10-4) and Green Bay Packers (11-3). Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is the No. 2 in the MVP race behind Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Titans running back Derrick Henry is No. 3 on some MVP boards.

“I have a slight leaning to the Titans with the points. I can see it being a very close game, and the three-point start is enough to entice me,” BetMGM’s Jason Scott said.

Of the three games, the Seahawks-Rams game has the most lopsided betting action, with 65 percent of the money on Seattle at FanDuel.

Week 16 Schedule

Here is the weekend lineup. Lines are from Westgate SuperBook and all times are Eastern. Arizona has Saturday’s most lopsided betting percentage, with the Cardinals having 89 percent of the spread money at FanDuel.

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“Out of all the slates in the NFL this year, this week is probably the worst. The games may turn out to be entertaining.? But when you look at the matchups, there’s only a couple games where the matchups are intriguing,” said Johnny Avello, the director of race and sportsbook operations, to Casino.org.

Drew Brees Returns

Saints quarterback Drew Brees will be in the lineup after missing four games with 11 broken ribs and a punctured lung. Coach Sean Payton made the announcement on Friday. But it was news sportsbooks expected all along.

It was baked into the line already,” Avello said. “We knew he could have played last week, but they held him out to play in this game, so he was healthy for the big game. They’re fighting for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, so this is a big game for them.”

The Chiefs, who won the Super Bowl last year, are 12-1 and in charge of the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs. The Saints, who haven’t won the Super Bowl since 2009 despite Brees’ excellence, are 10-3 and tied with the Green Bay Packers for the No. 1 spot in the NFC. The top seed gets a first-round bye and homefield advantage throughout the conference playoffs.

Two interesting notes on the line. First, while Kansas City has gone from 4-point favorites to 3-point favorites, it has nothing to do with betting trends. In fact, the Chiefs are getting 92 percent of the money at FanDuel, and it’s the most-lopsided game at BetMGM.

There are two games on Saturday. In the first, it’s the Buffalo Bills (10-3) at Denver Broncos (5-8). Denver is looking for a four-game sweep of the AFC East, and is 8-5 against the spread.

“The public doesn’t care. Buffalo is getting all the money,” Avello said. “They just think the Bills at 10-3 are on their way to winning the AFC East and going on to better things.”

In the big mismatch, it’s the New York Jets (0-13) at the Los Angeles Rams (9-4). The Rams, who are in the mix for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, are 17.5-point favorites over the Jets, who are trying to avoid the infamy of being only the fourth team in the Super Bowl era to lose every game.

Week 15 Schedule

Here is this weekend’s slate of games, with the lines from DraftKings. All times are Eastern.

Of note, of the 15 games to be played on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, one team is getting at least 70 percent of the money in 11 of them at FanDuel, and 10 at William Hill.

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When the season kicked off on Sept. 8, the Dallas Cowboys were -127 to win the division, followed by the Philadelphia Eagles at +146, New York Giants at +1,150 and the Washington Football Team at +1,650.

Even in mid-October, after Dallas lost quarterback Dak Prescott to a season-ending injury, the Cowboys and Eagles remained the favorites, and the Giants had soared to a whopping +4,000.

Now, entering Sunday’s games, the Giants (5-7) are a commanding -143 at DraftKings, followed by Washington (5-7) at +140, Philadelphia (3-8-1) at +1,400, and Dallas (3-9) at +4,000.

“I can’t believe that the Giants and the Washington Football Team, who we considered having no chance to win – forget the Super Bowl, but no chance to win the NFC East – and now they’re the top teams contending. What a turnaround,” said Johnny Avello, the director of race and sportsbook operations at DraftKings, to Casino.org.

NFC East Underdogs

All four NFC East teams are underdogs this week. That includes Philadelphia, which benched budget-busting quarterback Carson Wentz in favor of rookie Jalen Hurts for its game against the visiting New Orleans Saints (10-2).

In a battle of backup quarterbacks, the Taysom Hill-led Saints have gone from 6.5-point favorites to 8-point favorites, and are getting 86 percent of the money at FanDuel.

In one of the big games of the week, the Kansas City Chiefs (11-1) visit the surprising Miami Dolphins (8-4). Behind MVP front-runner Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs are 7-point favorites and getting about three-fourths of the money.

In the Sunday night game, the Pittsburgh Steelers (11-1) are at the Buffalo Bills (9-3). Pittsburgh is coming off a shocking loss last week to Washington.

“That loss by the Steelers last week kind of soured the players a little bit,” Avello said. “They’ve gone from 1.5-point favorites to 2-point underdogs, and that’s with getting James Conner back and having the No. 1 defense in points allowed.”

Week 14 Schedule

Of the remaining 15 games, the road team is the favorite in nine of them. One home team that is favored is Seattle, with the Seahawks being 15.5-point favorites over the winless New York Jets – by far the biggest spread this week.

Here’s the full schedule. All times are Eastern.

Of note considering this week’s betting trends, road favorites are 34-37-1 this season against the spread, according to ESPN.com.

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Last week, Michigan lawmakers agreed to allow casinos to offer online sports gambling and iGaming.

“We estimate four to six weeks, but it will depend on applicants getting the required information to us,” said Mary Kay Bean, the communications specialist for the Michigan Gaming Control Board, to Casino.org. “The launch date will depend on many things, including how quickly and completely applicants supply the MGCB with outstanding information. Operators and platform providers couldn’t fulfill some MGCB requirements until the rules were filed, which happened Dec. 2.”

Next Steps

Michigan’s casinos, both tribal and commercial, are navigating through the new rules to get ready for whenever they get the green light.

The legislation has to pass, which it has, and then you’ve got to work through compliance and get everything up and running,” said Jim Kahler, the executive director of the Center of Sports Administration at Ohio University, to Casino.org.

“It’s a fair amount of work to get the logistics worked out. All the sports gambling companies want to make sure they’re 100 percent compliant and they’re following all the rules of the state. The one thing that I have come to appreciate is that one size does not fit all. Every state is going to have its own nuances to the way the bills have been written.”

Jim Wise, the vice president of marketing at FireKeepers Casino in Battle Creek, Mich., said, “We know what you know,” about a potential starting date. Rolling out sports gambling and iGaming at the same time is a tall task, he acknowledged.

“This has been a major initiative – even bigger than some folks think. A number of other states have brought on sports, and then iCasino, in separate projects,” he said. “I appreciate all that Michigan Gaming is going through right now to roll out major new initiatives, like sports and casino, but also to do so with their work multiplied by 10x because of all the tribal casinos now that they need to get licensed and then get them up to speed. There’s really a lot happening.”

Major Impact

Whenever it starts, offering online slot machines or the chance to bet on a game will be a major boon for casinos who have suffered through the pandemic. Because of COVID-19 rates, Detroit’s commercial casinos are closed on order of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D). On Tuesday, the closures were extended through Dec. 20. While some of the tribal-run casinos have remained open, there have been fewer guests.

The ability to play at home should create badly needed revenue.

Most of the action is really with mobile sports gambling,” Kahler said. “I was doing some research on one of the states, and 80 percent of the gambling is done online. I can do it right from my La-Z-Boy while watching the game.”

Wise said FireKeepers’ sportsbook, which became the state’s first tribal-run sportsbook when it opened on June 22, has been thriving because of the combination of football season and the commercial casino closures. The start of online sports and casino gaming should only deliver more revenue once they’re up and running.

“This isn’t as easy as a brick-and-mortar, where you’d say, ‘Well, you can open. We just won’t have this certain restaurant ready or we’ll have a section of the slots closed off,’ or something of that nature,” Wise said. “This is online. You’re either ready to go or you’re not.”

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That’s the case for the San Francisco 49ers, who are hosting the Buffalo Bills in one of two Monday night games.

In response to COVID-19, Santa Clara (Calif.) County, the home of the 49ers, recently announced a three-week ban on “all recreational activities that involve physical contact or close proximity to persons outside one’s household.” So, the 49ers will play the Buffalo Bills at the Arizona Cardinals’ home stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

Good Week for Sportsbooks

Four big underdogs helped deliver a winning day for sportsbooks. The Las Vegas Raiders were 7.5-point favorites over the winless New York Jets, but needed an inconceivable long touchdown pass in the final seconds to avoid embarrassment.

The Seattle Seahawks were 10.5-point favorites, but were shocked at home by the New York Giants. The Minnesota Vikings needed overtime to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars as 10-point favorites. And in the Sunday night game, the Kansas City Chiefs were 14-point favorites over the Denver Broncos, but held onto victory.

“When you see favorites getting upset and underdogs covering, it goes in our favor,” Mannino said.

The Raiders-Jets game featured one of the most bizarre finishes in memory. With a 27-14 lead entering the fourth quarter, the Raiders were -5,000 to win at PointsBet. But the Jets rallied and were about to celebrate their first win of the season.

“Really wild stuff,” Mannino said. “That’s the kind of defense you don’t expect to see with 8 seconds on the clock. It was really remarkable play-calling in that situation.” Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who made that remarkable call, was fired on Monday.

The Jets are now -115 to go 0-16 at BetMGM.

Monday Night Doubleheader

Playing at home hasn’t meant much this season anyway, with teams playing in front of limited numbers of fans or no fans at all.

It’s something we’ve been struggling to figure out all year,” said Andrew Mannino, the senior sports content analyst at PointsBet, to Casino.org. “There’s something to be said for homefield, even without fans. You’re sleeping in your own bed and going to work in your own community. Without that for San Francisco, it gets a bit trickier to figure out exactly what that advantage is and how it will play out.”

Buffalo opened the week as a 3-point favorite, but was a one-point underdog as of Monday afternoon. Nonetheless, Mannino said bettors were “slamming” the Bills, with 74 percent of the tickets and 58 percent of the money on the spread.

“Nothing’s certain this year, so you hang a line and see what happens and respond to the action,” Mannino said of the neutral-site game.

In the first game, the Pittsburgh Steelers are 6.5-point favorites over the visiting Washington Football Team. On the spread, the Steelers have 81 percent of the tickets and 78 percent of the money. The Steelers are?making a run at an undefeated season.

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Interestingly, sportsbooks are getting action on two of the big road underdogs. On Sunday, the host Green Bay Packers are 8.5-point favorites over the underachieving and mistake-prone Philadelphia Eagles. While Green Bay has 87 percent of the tickets at William Hill, the Eagles have 52 percent of the money.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, who are trying to make history as the third team in the Super Bowl era to go undefeated through the regular season, are 7-point favorites at home against the Washington Football Team on Monday. However, at William Hill, 71 percent of the dollars are on Washington.

Game of the Week

In a battle of 8-3 teams, the Cleveland Browns will play at the Tennessee Titans. The Titans are 5-point favorites over the Browns, who are looking for a signature win after being demolished at Baltimore and at Pittsburgh earlier in the season.

Even though they’re 8-3, they’ve actually given up more points than they’ve scored. You don’t see that too often,” said Johnny Avello, the director of race and sportsbook operations for DraftKings.

In a big NFC West game, it’s the Los Angeles Rams (7-4) at the Arizona Cardinals (6-5). The Rams have been favored all week, with the line moving from 1.5 to 3 points. But the Cardinals are getting more of the tickets and money.

Will this be the week the winless New York Jets finally are triumphant? They are 8-point underdogs at home against the Las Vegas Raiders, who won’t have star running back Josh Jacobs. Nonetheless, the Raiders have attracted the overwhelming majority of the tickets and dollars.

Jets fans can take solace in this: It doesn’t take long to turn things around in the NFL. Just look at the Miami Dolphins, who are 10-point favorites at home against the Cincinnati Bengals. Miami lost its first seven games last season, with some fans and insiders wondering if it was tanking to improve its draft position. Fast forward to today, and the Dolphins are 7-4 and in the thick of the AFC East race.

If you go back about a year ago, people were talking about the Miami Dolphins as the worst team to ever play in the NFL,” Avello said. “If I would have told you that the Dolphins would be 10-point favorites the following year, I don’t think you would ever think they’d be a double-digit favorite for many years.”

In the Sunday night game, it’s the Denver Broncos (4-7) at Kansas City Chiefs (10-1). It is the biggest spread of the week, with the Chiefs -13, and the most lopsided game, with the Chiefs getting 79 percent of the money at FanDuel.

Week 13 Schedule

Here is the lineup for the games Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Lines are from DraftKings and all kickoff times are Eastern.

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While either accomplishment would be historic, neither market has been attracting a lot of action, according to BetMGM vice president of trading Jason Scott.

“We don’t see much business on either. Customers don’t want to tie their money up early in prop markets,” Scott said.

Crashing Jets

For those who are betting, perfectly imperfect has been a bigger draw than perfectly perfect. At BetMGM and PointsBet, the Jets prop has garnered more tickets.

Little was expected of the Jets before the season. But they’ve failed to even reach that threshold. Thus, bettors have been siding with a winless season for weeks. Only the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1976, Detroit Lions in 2008, and Cleveland Browns in 2017 lost every game. The Jets could join the group. In their 11 games, they’ve lost by more than one score seven times, including at home last week to the Miami Dolphins, 20-3.

The Jets’ final five games are at home against the Las Vegas Raiders (6-5), at the Seattle Seahawks (8-3), and Los Angeles Rams (7-4), home against the Cleveland Browns (8-3) and at the New England Patriots (5-6).

The Jets, who are +140 to go 0-16, are last in the NFL in scoring defense and fourth-to-last in scoring offense. Their best chance at a victory might be against the Patriots in the finale, and not just because that’s the only opponent with a losing record. When the teams met on Nov. 9, the Jets led 27-17 after three quarters, only to watch the Patriots score 13 points in the final six minutes.

Perfect Pittsburgh

The Steelers, who are +350 to go 16-0 at BetMGM, perhaps dodged the final big bullet in their quest for perfection when they beat the COVID-depleted Baltimore Ravens last week. With the Ravens’ reigning MVP quarterback, Lamar Jackson, on the COVID-19 reserve list, Pittsburgh won, 19-14.

That game is indicative of the Steelers’ season. They’ve rarely been dominant, with five of their games decided by five points or less, and only three games by more than 10 points. But they keep getting the job done behind a defense that has allowed the fewest points in the league.

Looking ahead, Pittsburgh has some challenging games, including at Buffalo and hosting Indy before going to Cleveland in Week 17,” Scott said. “Finishing 16-0 isn’t impossible, but it won’t be easy. BetMGM hasn’t received any large bets for the Steelers to win the Super Bowl yet, though we have taken consistent business on them all year and they’re currently our fifth-biggest liability to win the championship.”

Pittsburgh’s final five games are at home against the Washington Football Team (4-7), at the Buffalo Bills (8-3) and Cincinnati Bengals (2-8-1), home vs. the Indianapolis Colts (7-4), and at the Cleveland Browns (8-3). Buffalo and Cleveland are 5-1 at home. The Steelers crushed the Browns in Pittsburgh 38-7 in October.

Only the 1972 Miami Dolphins and the 2007 New England Patriots won every game in the Super Bowl era. The Dolphins are the only team to go undefeated in the regular season and win the championship.

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Because of a positive COVID-19 test and high-risk close contacts, the Broncos were without a true quarterback for their game against the Saints – practically a worst-case scenario. Betting interest in the game soared alongside the point spread.

Interest High in Unusual Game

All of a sudden, the unprecedented situation threw an under-the-radar game into the spotlight at sportsbooks.

If [regular starting quarterback] Drew Lock’s there, it’s not the sexiest game in the world to bet on,” said PointsBet director of communications Patrick Eichner to Casino.org.

By day’s end, the game generated the fourth-most action at PointsBet.

When news broke on Saturday night?that the Broncos would be lining up with practice-squad receiver Kendall Hinton at quarterback, the spread moved from 6.5 to 14. It didn’t stay there for long. In less than an hour, the line had gone to 15.5. As Sunday afternoon’s kickoff approached, the line had shot up to 17.

At 14 and 15.5, people were all over the Saints,” Eichner said. “The interest in that game really started to pick up, and took it from what would have been probably in the bottom handful in terms of overall turnover, and definitely elevated it and made it a very popular game.”

No matter the number, bettors liked the Saints. New Orleans captured 80 percent of the spread handle, even with starting quarterback Drew Brees out of the lineup.

Backup quarterback Taysom Hill led the Saints to a 31-3 victory.

Good Day for Sportsbook

While the public won that game, it was a “pretty strong Sunday” at PointsBet. The day ended on a strong note with an unusually bet game.

While most bettors sided with the Green Bay Packers as 8-point favorites over the Chicago Bears, bets by some of PointsBet’s heavy hitters meant that 81 percent of the money was on the Bears. It was a similar story at BetMGM, with one bettor plunking $100,000 on Chicago.

Green Bay rolled to a 41-25 victory.

Earlier in the day, it was a similar betting trend. According to Eichner, 81 percent of the bets were on the Kansas City Chiefs as 3.5-point favorites at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers But. the Bucs had 72 percent of the spread handle. The Chiefs won 27-24, but the Buccaneers rallied to cover.

“The public at mass was on the Packers. So, we needed the Packers, even though the Packers had the majority of the tickets. Same deal with the Chiefs. We needed the Chiefs despite having the lion’s share of the tickets,” Eichner said.

Monday Night Football (and Wednesday, Too)

The Seattle Seahawks (7-3) are 6.5-point favorites at the Philadelphia Eagles (3-6-1) on Monday night. Both teams are in tight division races, with Seattle leading the hotly contested NFC West and the Eagles with an opportunity to move into first place in the woeful NFC East.

In the Week 12 finale, the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-0) are slated to host the Baltimore Ravens (6-4) in a game originally scheduled for Thursday, but then moved to Sunday, Tuesday, and finally, Wednesday by major COVID-19 issues within the Ravens.

Among those on Baltimore’s COVID-19 list are reigning MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson. Without him and 11 other players, Pittsburgh is a 10.5-point favorite – a move of six points.

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The calamity in Denver was an exclamation point on a weekend filled with hard-hitting COVID-19 news. After several weeks of relatively smooth sailing, the NFL is wrestling with some major issues as it heads into the stretch run of the season.

First, the primetime Thanksgiving showdown between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens was moved to Sunday, and then to Tuesday. With continuing COVID issues, that game is off the board at some sportsbooks.

Second, on Saturday, Santa Clara County – the home of the San Francisco 49ers – announced a three-week ban on “all recreational activities that involve physical contact or close proximity to persons outside one’s household.” That means the 49ers, who play at the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, can neither practice nor play at their usual home.

Finally, on Saturday night, the ultimate calamity struck the Broncos.

No Quarterbacks for Broncos

Denver quarterback Jeff Driskel tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday. The team’s other quarterbacks were deemed high-risk close contacts and deemed ineligible to play. So, the Broncos will line up against the Saints without a true quarterback.

Instantly, point spreads soared at sportsbooks.

How are they going to score?” was the question asked to Casino.org by Glenn Herzog, the senior sportsbook risk manager at Circa Sports.

The Broncos reportedly will use practice squad receiver Kendall Hinton as their quarterback. He played quarterback his first three seasons at Wake Forest, throwing eight touchdowns in 251 career attempts, before shifting to receiver as a senior in 2019.

Huge adjustment, obviously. The line moved from 6.5 to 14 and is now at 15.5. I still think that’s not enough. I’m interested to see where it closes. We’re taking a lot of Saints money since the news and it will be all Saints money until kickoff,” said Patrick Eichner, the direction of communications for PointsBet, to Casino.org.

While the point spread widened, the total plunged from 42.5 to 36. Not only will the Broncos be playing without a quarterback, but Taysom Hill will make his second consecutive start at quarterback for the Saints in place of injured Drew Brees.

“Anytime there’s more running attempts, you’re going to have a lower total. With Taysom Hill, it’s a compounding effect,” Herzog said. “With a low total, the points get more and more valuable. You always expect a spread so large to come back. As a bookmaker, in the back of your mind, you’re preparing for the ceiling. Eventually, there’s value on the other side. Where’s that happening? That’s the question.”

Rest of Week 12

Pittsburgh at Baltimore was supposed to be a centerpiece of a massive Thanksgiving weekend for sportsbooks. Where the game is available for betting, the undefeated Steelers are 8-point favorites at DraftKings and 9-point favorites at Circa. The line opened about 4, but swelled when star quarterback Lamar Jackson was among the Ravens’ positive tests.

Here are the lines from Circa. All times are Eastern.

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Instead, COVID-19 stole the pie.

A COVID-19 outbreak within the Ravens, with seven players having tested positive or been deemed high-risk close contacts as of Wednesday, and reports of more positive tests on Thursday, forced the game to be moved to Sunday. With uncertainty over who will be available, or even if the game will be played, it is off the board for now at sportsbooks.

“Selfishly, from a fan standpoint, it’s annoying to lose that night game. But it’s all good that we will pick it up on the other end. There certainly will be opportunities,” said Patrick Eichner, the director of communications for PointsBet.

Traditional Hosts

Thanksgiving is about family, food, and football. And, perhaps more than ever, sports betting. With the CDC encouraging people to stay home for Thanksgiving because of rising COVID-19 rates, sportsbooks are expecting a huge weekend, even with the biggest NFL game off the Thursday table.

The postponement leaves two games to be played by the traditional hosts, Detroit and Dallas.

The Lions are playing for the 81st time on Thanksgiving, with a 37-41-2 record. Bettors are expecting Detroit’s Thanksgiving losing streak to hit four games. Houston, which is a 3-point favorite, has 80 percent of the bets and 70 percent of the handle at PointsBet.

In the second game, Dallas is a 3-point favorite over Washington. It has 88 percent of the money. Someone’s got to win the NFC East. Philadelphia is 3-6-1, and Washington, Dallas and the New York Giants are 3-7. The Eagles are the favorites at +175 at PointsBet, but Thursday’s winner could vault to the top.

Ravens at Steelers Moved to Sunday

A slugfest between bitter AFC North rivals, Baltimore and Pittsburgh, was put in the primetime window. Instead, assuming the COVID situation in Baltimore clears up, it will be part of the early games on Sunday.

“It’s fortunate that game is being postponed and not canceled entirely,” Eichner said. “As a football fan in general and having had the pleasure of working in the league, you love to see those storied rivalries with two classic franchises. Baltimore and Pittsburgh, a night game under the lights, it just feels right. It feels as American as football on Thanksgiving.”

Here’s the rest of the Week 12 schedule.

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Thanksgiving is about family, food, and football. And, perhaps more than ever, sports betting.

“In a normal year, this four days is behind the Super Bowl and the first week of March Madness as the biggest days of the year,” said Nick Bogdanovich, the director of trading at William Hill, to Casino.org. “It’s just crazy action. It’s just insane from Thursday to Sunday. It’s eat as much as you can, drink as much as you can, bet as much as you can.”

With sports gambling becoming more prevalent around the United States, and with the CDC encouraging people to stay home for Thanksgiving because of rising COVID-19 rates, the action is expected to be hotter than the Thanksgiving gravy.

Buffet of Betting

As usual, the NFL slate will highlight the Thanksgiving betting menu. The Houston Texans (3-7) at Detroit Lions (4-6) will start the day, followed by the Washington Football Team (3-7) at Dallas Cowboys (3-7). The big game, the Thursday night finale between the Baltimore Ravens (6-4) and Pittsburgh Steelers (10-0), was postponed to Sunday because of several positive COVID-19 tests within the Ravens.

A lot of the action will take place before the kickoff of Lions-Texans.

“Thanksgiving usually is the morning,” said Ed Salmons, the vice president of risk management and oddsmaking at Westgate SuperBook, to Casino.org. “The first game starts at 9:30 our time. Usually from 8 to 9:30, it’s the really busy point. It kind of comes in spurts, but most of your business is done really early that day.”

And that business has been booming. While much of the economy has suffered through the pandemic, sportsbooks have thrived. With so many entertainment options off the table, many sports fans have turned to gambling to add a little juice to their sports viewing. While Las Vegas remains the Mecca of sports gambling, New Jersey and Pennsylvania have posted record handles. With fewer people traveling to spend time with family for Thanksgiving, insiders expect a four-day betting bonanza.

I think it’s going to be a ton of action,” said Bogdanovich, who estimates 70 percent of bets are placed online rather than a retail site. “Right now, sports betting’s at an all-time high. We’ve never written more business. It’s going to be incredible. The people are locked down, they can’t go anywhere. So, they’re on their computers and they’re watching and they’re betting.”

Patrick Eichner, the director of communications for PointsBet, called the upcoming holiday weekend a “perfect storm.” Football is a Thanksgiving tradition, fewer families will be together, so more eyes will be glued totally to the game rather than Aunt Betsy’s health problems, and there is more access to sports betting as more states make it legal.

“We’re going to see this trend continue,” Eichner said. “If you dial in specifically on the state of New Jersey, we’ve seen it improve month over month. We just keep setting record highs every month. So, I think if you compare it to previous Thanksgivings, it’s absolutely going to do better.”

NFL fuels sports betting, which makes it the Thanksgiving feast. Culinarily speaking, Friday and Saturday are about leftovers. From a sporting perspective, Friday and Saturday are about college football. There will be less of it this year because of COVID-19. But Bogdanovich said Friday’s game between No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 25 North Carolina will be “off the charts.”

Welcome Addition

If the NFL is the turkey and college football is the mashed potatoes and gravy, college basketball will provide the green bean casserole. The COVID-delayed season tipped off on Wednesday. No. 1 Gonzaga will play No. 6 Kansas in a huge Thanksgiving showdown, and there are games throughout the four-day weekend.

Those games not only will fuel this weekend’s feeding frenzy, but provide a welcome lift to handle throughout the week. Sportsbooks have missed the NBA and NHL, which usually are a month into their seasons. College basketball will help fill the void.

“Without NBA and hockey during the week, the pickings are definitely slimmer,” Salmons said. “The football is accented that much more. The one downside to that is people like variety. They like to see some basketball and some hockey mixed in there. After a while with football, every game blends into the next game. Especially these college games. You watch these MAC games, they’re entertaining but they’re comically funny.”

Thursday Football Feast

Neither of Thursday’s NFL games are especially compelling. It probably won’t matter, though. A standalone NFL game, such as Sunday Night Football or Monday Night Football, always attracts a lot of action. Even without Steelers-Ravens, Thanksgiving will provide two standalone games to sports fans who might not have a holiday table to gather around.

It will be good for the books. Well, maybe. We’ll see,” Bogdanovich said. “Maybe we’ll get our butts kicked. I want to say it was ’93 or ’94, it was a tsunami. They won every game Thursday, so they had more to bet with on Friday. They won every bet Friday, so they had more to bet on Saturday. Then they won more on Saturday. By Sunday, the bookmakers were crying, it was so bad. It was the most insane four-day run of all-time. It was an unparalleled beating for bookmakers.”

Salmons has some bad memories, too.

“It’s always the favorites,” who get bet, he recalled. “I have a lot of bad memories of Thanksgiving and the favorites winning every game.”

Win or lose, sportsbooks know the importance of Thanksgiving runs deeper than Thursday’s bets. This isn’t just about printing some extra tickets. Rather, it’s about attracting and maintaining customers.

“Thanksgiving’s a massive opportunity,” Eichner said. “You’re going to see a lot of very aggressive pricing, promotions, boosters to perhaps capture new clients or keep existing clients happy and sticky to your book, and make sure that your book remains their book of preference. It’s an opportunity on both sides of the table.”

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But with Thanksgiving coming up on Thursday, that might take a bite out of the number of tickets.

Now, I’m talking about a normal world here,” said Ed Salmons, the vice president of risk management and oddsmaking, to Casino.org. “Usually, 90 percent of our business will be done from 7 in the morning until kickoff at 10 a.m. before a holiday. Tourists that would come to town would take off earlier rather than stick around for the whole night. We’ll see this year. It’s a different world, so it’s hard to forecast.”

Perhaps helping matters is this week’s schedule. Not only are there quality games throughout the day, but there are four games in the afternoon window, compared to two last year, Salmons noted.

Big Change, Big Games

The big change is with the New Orleans Saints. The NFL’s all-time leading passer, Drew Brees, is out with broken ribs. He reportedly will be replaced not by veteran Jameis Winston, but by utilityman Taysom Hill. The 30-year-old Hill has thrown only 18 passes since entering the NFL in 2017.

The Saints are 3.5-point favorites. But the Falcons are getting most of the money.

If Brees was playing, this line would be more up to 7.5 or 8,” said Johnny Avello, the director of race and sportsbook operations for DraftKings. “So, there’s not much of a drop-off. A lot of that has to do with the Saints being at home and the Saints’ defense.”

The first group of games is headlined by the Tennessee Titans (6-3) at Baltimore Ravens (6-3). Baltimore opened as 6.5-point favorites. The line dipped to as low as 5, but is up to 6.

“The Ravens have been struggling,” Avello said. “If you look at their offense, the production is down this year. Tennessee has been reeling. If you look at the playoff race, even at 6-3, they’re actually out of the seven teams.”

In the second wave of games, the Green Bay Packers (7-2) are at the Indianapolis Colts (6-3). The Packers are third in the NFL in scoring, and the Colts are fourth in scoring defense. Indianapolis, with three extra days off, is a 1.5-point favorite. But the Packers are getting about three-fourths of the money.

Rematch on Sunday Night

In the Sunday night game, it’s the Kansas City Chiefs (8-1) at the Los Angeles Raiders (6-3). The Raiders handed the Chiefs their only loss, a 40-32 verdict in Week 5.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the preseason favorite and favorite to again win NFL MVP, has thrown an unprecedented 25 touchdowns vs. one interception. That lone interception came against Las Vegas.

With Avello noting Chiefs coach Andy Reid’s superb 18-3 record after a bye, Kansas City is a 7.5-point favorite.

At FanDuel, the Chiefs have 88 percent of the spread money. Only the Miami Dolphins have more, with 95 percent against the Denver Broncos.

Week 11 Schedule

Here is the full Week 11 schedule, with betting lines from DraftKings.

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Northern Waters Casino Resort in Watersmeet and Island Resort and Casino in Harris are among those where the slot machines are humming. The Kewadin Casinos, with five locations and based in Sault Ste. Marie, made up most of the closures.

“The decision wasn’t taken lightly,” said Michael Broderick, the general manager at Northern Waters, to Casino.org.

Survival Mode

For Northern Waters, which is run by the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, the decision was based on health, sovereignty, and finances.

It’s not like the tribe doesn’t have a fantastic relationship with the state government,” Broderick said. “But there is a measure of sovereignty. Why have sovereignty unless you’re able to exercise it?”

Tribal casinos fund government operations. Northern Waters survived the state’s initial two-month shutdown at the start of the pandemic in the spring, and its own shorter shutdown in August after COVID rates spiked in the U.P. Now, the emergency money to shutter its doors again is gone.

Congress still hasn’t created any additional stimulus benefits or continued with the packages that they did when this outbreak first occurred,” Broderick said.

“That was a big help in order to allow us to close. That pile of money is no longer there. So, the ability to sustain that type of furloughing and still continue to pay people and their health insurance premiums, that has gone away pretty much. So now, it’s just a matter of surviving.”

The order issued on Nov. 15 by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services focuses on what it calls “indoor social gatherings.” It claims they are a leading cause of the spread of COVID. However, according to Broderick, its contact tracing has shown zero infections related to the casino, hotel and resort.

Moreover, there was a feeling among tribal leadership that if big-box stores can remain open, why not the casino, with its strong safety protocols?

Along with temperature checks upon entry, mask requirements, and an abundance of sanitizing stations, the casino installed software on its slot machines that notifies staff when a machine is no longer in use. That signals the “Clean Team” to sanitize machines and put them back in play.

“I have to say we’re lucky in that sense. From a guy that works at a casino, we don’t take being ‘lucky’ lightly. It’s a reflection of the protocols that we’ve had in place since we reopened,” Broderick said.

Shutdown Confusion

With tourism season having ended with Labor Day and the golf course closed with the arrival of the pre-winter cold, traffic in the casino already was down to such an extent that it no longer had to turn away visitors.

Confusion over Whitmer’s shutdown, which started during the first week of the annual gun-deer season that brings countless orange-clad visitors to the area, didn’t help matters.

When the governor ordered the shutdown on Wednesday, there was a marked difference in the amount of foot traffic that we had that day,” Broderick said.

Table games have been closed for about a week. Dividers have been purchased to keep already socially distanced guests at the tables separated. Once those are installed, the hope is table games will return on Nov. 27.

Meanwhile, the hotel has been operating at about 60 percent occupancy. Once a guest leaves, the room is sanitized and remains vacant for 24 hours before it is made ready for the next visitor.

Fewer customers and guests means reduced revenue, but increased expenses to keep guests and staff safe, Northern Waters is “holding our own” financially, Broderick said.

Elsewhere in Michigan

Staying in the Upper Peninsula, Island Resort and Casino in Harris is remaining open. The casino did cancel its in-house entertainment and limit its restaurant to takeout orders only. That casino is operated by the Hannahville Indian Community, which is a Potawatomi Indian Tribe.

Bay Mills Resort and Casino in Brimley will reopen on Dec. 8. Tribal Chairman Bryan Newland said the tribe had saved enough CARES Act money to pay its employees during the shutdown.

Venturing out of the U.P., the Four Winds Casinos, located in three cities in Southwestern Michigan, as well as a fourth location in South Bend, Ind., have remained open. Those casinos are operated by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi.

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“I would say this is the best set of primetime games this season. That should be reflected in appetite and therefore tickets on the games. What could possibly go wrong?” said John Sheeran, the director of trading for FanDuel Sportsbook, to Casino.org.

The action kicks off on Thursday night with the Arizona Cardinals (6-3) at Seattle Seahawks (6-3). On Sunday night, it’s the Super Bowl-favorite Kansas City Chiefs (8-1) at the Las Vegas Raiders (6-3). Finally, on Monday night, it’s the Los Angeles Rams (6-3) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-3).

Thursday Night Showdown

The Arizona-Seattle game features two of the three teams tied atop the powerful NFC West, with the Rams being the other. It also features two of the leading MVP candidates.

At Circa Sports, Seattle is the division favorite at +140, the Rams are +185, and the Cardinals are +235.

The Seahawks still being the favorite has to be related to their schedule: Eagles, Giants, Jets, Washington Football Team and two division home games against the Cards and Rams. They will be favored in all of those games, with the finale for the season being on the road at San Francisco, which will most certainly be out of playoff contention,” said Glenn Herzog, the senior sportsbook risk manager at Circa, to Casino.org.

This is Round 2 of the series. In Week 7, the Cardinals fell behind 34-24 with 7 minutes remaining, but rallied to win 37-34 in overtime. Seattle is a 3-point favorite.

“I don’t expect this line to drop below 3 after an emotional win last week for the Cardinals, [Cardinals safety] Budda Baker banged up, and an embarrassing offensive output for the Hawks last week” against the Rams, Herzog said.

Headed into the first game against Arizona, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was the overwhelming favorite to win MVP. Not anymore. Seattle has dropped three of its last four games, with Wilson tossing seven interceptions in those losses.

At Circa, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the new favorite at +160, followed by Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers at +275. Wilson is third at +365, and his counterpart on Thursday night, Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, has zoomed up to fourth at +700. Murray is FanDuel’s biggest liability in the MVP market.

Week 11 Schedule

Five games on the Week 11 slate feature head-to-head matchups of teams with at least six wins. Here is the full schedule, with betting lines from SuperBook.

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“That was insane,” said Andrew Mannino, the senior sports content analyst at PointsBet, to Casino.org.

Buffalo led 30-26 when Arizona snapped the ball with 11 seconds remaining. Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray rolled out to the left, escaped a sack, and flung the ball into the end zone. Star receiver DeAndre Hopkins made a leaping catch in the end zone between three defenders for a 43-yard touchdown that put Arizona in front 32-30.

Winning But Losing

While it was an exhilarating ending for Cardinals fans, it wound up being a bad beat for Cardinals bettors. Arizona was a 2.5-point favorite.

With a successful extra-point kick, the Cardinals would have won 33-30 and covered the spread, and the 73 percent of spread bettors who sided with the Cardinals would have won. Instead, they lined up for a two-point conversion, Murray took a knee and the game was over.

That was right on the line of the spread. It was unbelievable,” Mannino said. “They kneeled on the extra point with the line closing at 2.5, so that was a pretty remarkable play. That half a point really helped us out a lot.”

Indeed, that was a key result in an otherwise poor week at PointsBet. In the first wave of games, the only upset was the New York Giants’ 27-17 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. That was bad news, with the public siding with the favorites. It was the same story in the afternoon, with the favorites winning every game, and only the Cardinals failing to cover.

Coming to the rescue on Sunday night were the New England Patriots. The Baltimore Ravens were 7-point favorites and had 90 percent of the tickets, but were shocked at New England 23-17.

It was a pretty tough week for us overall. Ravens-Patriots stopped it from being a much worse day,” Mannino said. “I just can’t figure this Ravens team out, or the Patriots. They went toe-to-toe with the Jets down to the wire, and then the next week they take out Baltimore. It’s a crazy season, for sure.”

Baltimore-New England, as is typically the case for Sunday night games, was the most-bet sporting event of the weekend.

“We get a lot of action on any Sunday night, but especially when people see it as a one-sided game,” Mannino said.

Monday Night Monsters

In the Monday night game, the Minnesota Vikings (3-5) will play at the Chicago Bears (5-4). While the so-called Monsters of the Midway are at home and have the better record, Minnesota is a 3-point favorite after two consecutive impressive wins.

“The Vikings are headed back on the right track and bettors are seeing that,” Mannino said. “Chicago’s another kind of mystery. I think people are struggling with their quarterback situation. It’s a fairly split game, and no one’s certain of what’s going to happen, which means we’re not too stressed on the result one way or the other.”

On the spread, the Vikings have 55 percent of the money. On the moneyline, the Bears have attracted 57 percent of the money. The total is 44 points, with 61 percent taking the over.

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The most interesting game – and not just because it’s one of only two games between teams with winning records – has the Buffalo Bills (7-2) at Arizona Cardinals (5-4).

The Cardinals opened as 1.5-point favorites, and the line had moved to 3 on Saturday. That’s even though the public was backing the surging Bills following last week’s surprising blowout of the Seattle Seahawks. By Sunday morning, the line had settled at Arizona -2.5.

Even though we moved the points, we’ve got Bills money,” said Johnny Avello, the director of race and sportsbook operations for DraftKings, to Casino.org.

“This is a case of a sharp bettor’s initial move against the general public. It doesn’t surprise me. The Bills are up a game-and-a-half over the Dolphins in the (AFC East), and the Cardinals are a game behind in the (NFC West), and they need this.”

The total has soared from 53 to 56.5.

“You look at last week’s games with nobody stopping anyone. They think that trend will continue this week,” Avello said.

Last Call for 49ers?

The San Francisco 49ers almost won the Super Bowl last year and were among the favorites to win it this year. Now, because of a roster slammed by injuries, they’re 4-5 and almost out of time in the powerful NFC. A case could be made their top five players are on injured reserve. Meanwhile, the Saints (6-2) look strong with the returns of receivers Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.

Predictably, the Saints have gone from 7.5-point favorites to 9.5.

This is probably the 49ers’ last shot to stay in the playoff hunt. The thing about the Saints is they’re 6-2 overall, but 3-5 in the spread. They’re just not a good cover team. But they have been bet up to 9.5,” Avello said.

The biggest favorite of the week is Green Bay (6-2), with the Packers 14-point favorites over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The weather will be miserable – cold, rainy and windy – but the Jaguars (1-7) have lost seven straight.

“This will be in every, single moneyline parlay. The Packers will be heavily bet,” Avello said.

No Showdown on Sunday Night

The Sunday night game is usually the marquee showdown of the week. Not this one, with the Baltimore Ravens (6-2) being 7-point favorites at the New England Patriots (3-5).

While it’s simplistic to say, New England’s demise might have settled the question of who deserved more credit for its six-championship dynasty. While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are flourishing with quarterback Tom Brady, the Patriots are struggling under coach Bill Belichick.

They were lucky to get the win against the [winless] Jets last week,” Avello said. “They’re not making the playoffs. You don’t usually hear those words. That’s something that’s been imbedded in our lives to see this team every, single year. But it’s just not going to happen this year.”

The Ravens are undefeated on the road and need a win to keep pace with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC South.

“I expect to see Ravens money on the side, Ravens moneyline money. We’ll be loaded up on the Ravens,” Avello said.

Sure enough, at FanDuel, 92 percent of the money is on Baltimore, making it the most lopsided game of the week.

Week 10 Schedule

Here is the full schedule, with betting lines from DraftKings. The game of the week was played Thursday, with the Indianapolis Colts beating the Tennessee Titans, meaning Tennessee fans took another beating at their new sportsbooks.

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Legalized sports betting went live in Tennessee on Nov. 1, with all wagering done online. That will make this the third Titans game available for residents of Nashville, Knoxville, and all points in-between.

It’s been a hit thus far, Jason Scott, BetMGM’s vice president of trading, told Casino.org.

The interest in Tennessee has outstripped all other states in our first fortnight by a minimum of 200 percent. Understandably at this time of year, the majority of bets have come from football, 60/40 in favor of NFL over college,” Scott said.

Scott anticipates even stronger interest in a primetime, stand-alone NFL game. He said he expects Tennessee bettors will wager 50 percent to 75 percent more in this game compared to last week’s victory over the Chicago Bears.

In the Titans’ first two games since sports gambling went live, they failed to cover the spread. “So the bookmakers have an early lead over the customers,” Scott noted.

It should be a strong night in Indiana, too. Indiana’s sports gambling went live last year. In September, Indiana’s handle of $207.4 million ranked as the fifth-most in the nation. It topped that figure with a handle of $230.9 million in October, according to the Indiana Gaming Commission.

AFC South Showdown

The game, a strength-vs.-strength matchup, is a huge one in the AFC South. The Titans are 6-2, having stopped a two-game losing streak last week against Chicago. They’re powered by running back Derrick Henry, who is second in the NFL with 843 rushing yards.

The Colts are 5-3. They’re driven by a hard-charging defense that ranks second in the league with 3.31 yards allowed per carry.

The Titans opened as 2.5-point favorites, but it was Colts -1 at most sportsbooks as of Thursday afternoon.

It’s two good teams, so it’ll be an extremely well-bet game,” said Nick Bogdanovich, the director of trading at William Hill, to Casino.org. “I don’t watch too many Thursday NFL games. I’m anti-Thursday games. It’s too short of a week and these teams are all beat-up. But I might watch this one. I want to see how good (Titans quarterback Ryan) Tannehill is, and if (Colts quarterback Philip) Rivers has anything left.”

As of Thursday afternoon at FanDuel, 78 percent of the spread bets and 62 percent of the spread money was on the Titans. At BetMGM, 88 percent of the bet count and 92 percent of the handle out of Tennessee had been placed on the Titans, Scott said.

The teams will meet again in two weeks.

NFL Week 10 Schedule

Here is the full schedule for the week. Indianapolis at Tennessee, the Buffalo Bills at Arizona Cardinals, and Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams are the only games matching two winning teams. The lines are from William Hill and all times are Eastern.

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“At this point, we are dying for more content during the week, so the NBA starting would be very welcome,” said Ed Salmons, the vice president of risk management and oddsmaking at Westgate SuperBook, to Casino.org.

The Los Angeles Lakers, who beat the Miami Heat for the COVID-delayed championship on Oct. 12, are 7/2 favorites to win the 2020-21 championship at SuperBook.

Betting Better Than Ratings

The pandemic meant a four-and-a-half month break in the action last season. When the NBA returned on July 30 in a “bubble” in Orlando, Fla., NFL training camps were gearing up. When the conference finals started, the football season was under way.

Between the loss of momentum, competition from football, the controversial social-justice messaging, and a relatively one-sided championship series, TV ratings plunged. For the NBA Finals, ratings were down 51 percent from last year.

We actually did not see a big plummet or drop-off like the TV ratings,” said Patrick Eichner, the director of communications for PointsBet, to Casino.org. “Betting interest was very strong and the NBA was still a huge driver, as per usual. To be honest, I’d imagine the bettors were the ones still tuning in!”

John Sheeran, the director of trading for FanDuel, reported “excellent” betting volume. It was the same at William Hill.

It didn’t affect us at all,” said Nick Bogdanovich, the director of trading at William Hill, to Casino.org. “There was plenty of money in the pot. The bubble was a huge success. Hats off to the NBA for pulling it off. The bettors were strong on the NBA. Real strong.”

On the other hand, Matthew Metcalf, the sportsbook director for Circa Sports, said the delay took a bite out of business.

The NBA playoffs drew far less action than we are used to seeing when they take place in the spring/summer months,” Metcalf told Casino.org.

It’s nearly impossible to determine how much the league’s social justice campaigning, which included “Black Lives Matter” painted across the courts and individual messages replacing names on jerseys, affected interest. But NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said there would be “somewhat of a return to normalcy” for the upcoming season.

With college football and the NFL, sportsbooks had their typically strong weekends. NFL games on Monday night and Thursday night are huge, too. College football’s Mid-American Conference has filled the TV desert – and helped fill the betting void – by playing its games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Still, a game like Wednesday’s between Toledo and Western Michigan is no substitute for a Lakers-Celtics showdown.

“As much as I love Tuesday night MACtion, yes, the return of the NBA will definitely be big for books in filling the holes in the daily schedule,” Eichner said.

Lakers Are Favorites

No different than the end of the season, the LeBron James-led Lakers are the consensus favorites at sportsbooks. At William Hill, the Lakers are +375, followed by the Los Angeles Clippers at +400, Milwaukee Bucks at +650, Golden State Warriors at +800, Brooklyn Nets at +850, and Celtics and Heat at +1,200.

Bogdanovich said the Lakers have “by far” the most tickets and money in William Hill’s future market.

I’ve got to believe it’s a lot more wide open than it ever has been,” he said. “Last year proved that. A lot of the middle teams made a step up, and LeBron will be a year older and everything went right for him.”

At FanDuel, two teams that were hammered by injuries, the Warriors and Nets, are among the most popular championship bets, Sheeran said. The Warriors had the worst record in the NBA last year without stars Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.

The NBA Draft will be held Nov. 18 and free agency will begin Nov. 20. The future of two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks will be a focal point of a short and swift off-season. He is under contract through the upcoming season, but could force a trade if he desires.

“We’re assuming he’s playing,” Bogdanovich said. “There’s not a lot of money on Milwaukee. With a team like that, we’ll probably adjust up at some point just to get some tickets on them. But we’re assuming he’ll be with the Bucks.”

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The Cowboys, the preseason favorites to win the NFC East and contend for a Super Bowl championship, fell to 2-6 on Sunday by becoming the latest team to lose to the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers. The script took an unexpected turn on Sunday, though the outcome was the same: a winning outcome for sportsbooks.

The Cowboys, always a popular pick among bettors as “America’s Team,” entered the game 0-7 against the spread. However, with Dallas starting its fourth quarterback of the season, Pittsburgh was a 14-point favorite and attracted 87 percent of the spread tickets at PointsBet. The Steelers overcame a 19-9 deficit in the fourth quarter to win 24-19, but failed to cover.

That outcome helped power a strong day at sportsbooks during the ninth Sunday of the NFL season.

‘Friends of the Program’

No different than all those early-season losses, the Cowboys’ first cover of the season worked in sportsbooks’ favor.

It’s not bad when a team flip-flops like that in our favor. They’re a popular team, that’s for sure,” said Andrew Mannino, the senior sports content analyst at PointsBet, to Casino.org.

The New Orleans Saints have been a winner for sportsbooks, too. In their fourth primetime game of the season, they shockingly blew out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-3 on Sunday night in a big NFC South showdown.

In Week 2, they lost at the Las Vegas Raiders as 5.5-point favorites. In Week 3, they lost at home to the Green Bay Packers as 3-point favorites. In Week 5, they won by a field goal at home against the Los Angeles Chargers, but failed to cover as one-touchdown favorites. After going 0-3 against the spread in those games, the Saints on Sunday won at Tampa Bay as three-point underdogs in a game with “huge handle.”

The Houston Texans’ cover against the powerhouse Kansas City Chiefs (71 percent of spread handle) and the Buffalo Bills’ upset victory over the Seattle Seahawks (72 percent of spread handle), combined with the Dallas and New Orleans results, made it a good day for sportsbooks after taking a beating with Green Bay’s win over San Francisco on Thursday.

“We had a lot of bets on Tampa Bay last night. A lot of favored teams didn’t cover and a lot of dogs covered,” Mannino said.

Patriots at Jets on Monday Night

The New England Patriots (2-5) are 10-point favorites over the New York Jets (0-8) for Monday night’s game. That’s up from 7 to start the week.

For New York, this might be its best chance to win a game this season. Several sportsbooks have established props on the Jets finishing 0-16. At PointsBet, Eichner said “well over 80 percent of the action” has gone on the Jets at +300 to lose every game.

It’s unusual that people are so confident in a team’s inability to win this far into the season,” Mannino told Casino.org. “But you look at the Jets’ schedule, and it’s hard to pick a place where they pull it out. Obviously, strange things happen in the NFL and good teams lose and bad teams win. But, I think, bettors are looking at the schedule and they don’t see a win.”

As for Monday, the Patriots have 68 percent of the spread money and 85 percent of the moneyline at PointsBet. The total dipped as low as 41, but is up to 42.5, with the public slightly taking the under.

“I think people see this as a rebound game for the Pats, who have been struggling, against a pretty bad Jets team,” Mannino said.

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Those facts, plus the primetime Sunday night slot, should lead to one of the biggest Sunday nights of the year at sportsbooks.

This will probably be the heaviest-bet game of the weekend, not only because of the primetime spot but the matchup,” said Johnny Avello, the director of race and sportsbook operations for DraftKings, to Casino.org. “It’s just a great matchup. We’ve had some not-so-good matchups on Sunday nights and Monday nights. This is a good one.”

Ed Salmons, the vice president of risk management and oddsmaking at Westgate SuperBook, called the handle “huge.”

The Buccaneers were 3.5-point favorites as of midday Sunday, down from as high as 5.5 earlier in the week. At FanDuel, the Bucs have 60 percent of the spread money, but the Saints have 57 percent of the moneyline.

Plentiful Points?

While this is the highest-scoring season in NFL history in terms of points (5,996) and touchdowns (692) through eight weeks, points are not the expectation in this game, even with the prolific quarterbacks.

In fact, the total has crashed. At DraftKings, it started at 54.5, but was down to 50.5 at midday Sunday. It was the same trend at FanDuel. The betting was mixed, with 82 percent of the bets on the over, but practically a 50/50 split on the money at FanDuel.

“I would expect that number will probably go up before game time,” Avello said.

This game caps a huge Sunday. For only the fifth time since 1970, there are at least three games between teams with two-or-fewer losses in Week 9 or later in the season.

Trading Records

The quarterbacks are legends, with Brady’s six Super Bowl rings and Brees’ long list of NFL records. One record that has shifted in Brady’s direction is career touchdown passes. With 20 this season, Brady is up to 561 career touchdown passes. That’s one more than Brees, who has only 13 this season.

“Every time they throw a touchdown pass, they break the other guy’s record,” Avello said.

The Saints won the Week 1 game 34-23. Both quarterbacks threw two touchdowns in that game, but the Saints picked off Brady twice.

Tampa Bay is rolling, though. With six wins in its last seven games, it has moved onto the short list of prime Super Bowl contenders. At BetMGM, the Bucs are +650, behind only the Kansas City Chiefs (+350) and Pittsburgh Steelers (+600).

Tampa Bay recently added troubled receiver Antonio Brown to the roster, and he’ll make his debut.

Following the off-season acquisition of Brady, the Buccaneers are the biggest championship liability for sportsbooks.

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The first wave of games features the Seattle Seahawks (6-1) at Buffalo Bills (6-2), Baltimore Ravens (5-2) at Indianapolis Colts (5-2), and Chicago Bears (5-3) at Tennessee Titans (5-2). The Miami Dolphins (4-3) at Arizona Cardinals (5-2) highlights the afternoon block. The day closes with the New Orleans Saints (5-2) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2), which figures to be one of the big games of the season at sportsbooks.

“And then we have teams that are playing pretty bad playing each other. We have to book those like we have to book everything else,” said Johnny Avello, the director of race and sportsbook operations for DraftKings, to Casino.org.

Here’s a look at Week 9.

Big AFC South Games

The Titans and Colts are tied for first place in the AFC South with 5-2 records.

Baltimore started the week as a 3.5-point favorite over Indianapolis. But that line was down to 1 by Saturday afternoon.

[Ravens quarterback] Lamar Jackson is coming off a terrible game,” Avello told Casino.org. “The question is, how does he rebound? They’ve won nine straight road games. Even though this number got driven down, I expect to see some Ravens money by the time this game starts.

Tennessee is a 6.5-point favorite over Chicago. That’s up from 5.5 to start the week. The marquee matchup features Tennessee running back Derrick Henry, whose 775 rushing yards are more than 100 yards better than anyone else. He will be attacking the NFL’s eighth-best scoring defense. Henry’s over/under is 94.5 yards.

“We’re in the middle of the season, and there’s a lot of teams in the hunt,” Avello said. “The Bears need to keep winning to stay in the hunt behind Green Bay in the NFC North, and the Titans are in a similar situation. With the Colts, whoever doesn’t win the AFC South won’t necessarily make the playoffs.”

Crashing Cowboys

It’s not quite as lopsided as last week’s Chiefs-Jets game, but the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers are a whopping 14.5-point favorite over the Dallas Cowboys.

You’ve got a Steelers team that’s 7-0 and 6-1 against the number going against a team that’s 2-6 and 0-8 against the number,” Avello said. “I think the bettors have had it with the Cowboys. But you’re paying the price here if you want the Steelers.”

Dallas is a mess. Star quarterback Dak Prescott is on injured reserve. Veteran backup Andy Dalton, who was supposed to keep the team afloat, was out first with a concussion and is now on the COVID-reserve list.

After rookie Ben DiNucci flopped last week, embattled Dallas coach Mike McCarthy is choosing between Garrett Gilbert and Cooper Rush. Gilbert, who entered the NFL in 2014, has six career passing attempts. Rush, who entered the league in 2017, has three.

It’s almost like a starting pitcher. Who’s going to start? Us, as bookmakers, we don’t care. It doesn’t matter,” Avello said.

Here’s the rest of the schedule, with the lines from DraftKings. All times are Eastern.

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“I think we’ll have a bill fairly quickly to at least work on” when the Legislature reconvenes on Jan. 12, Rep. Timothy Johns (R-Lead) told Casino.org on Thursday.

Regardless of when it passes, all legislation in South Dakota becomes effective on July 1. Depending on how quickly the state’s Gaming Commission can craft the rules and regulations and get through public hearings, the first bet could be placed at one of Deadwood’s 25 casinos at that time or shortly thereafter.

Online Gaming, Too?

While Amendment B only authorized the legalization of sports betting within the limits of Deadwood, the expectation is online wagering will be part of whatever the legislature approves.

Of course, Deadwood’s a destination,” said Johns, who served eight years in the House before being elected to the Senate for the upcoming term on Tuesday. “But if you want people to participate, you’re going to have to let them make bets remotely. It can be placed wherever in today’s world. But it would originate in Deadwood.”

South Dakota’s Gaming Commission and the Deadwood Gaming Association will be among the parties with input on the bill. Johns said legislators also will look to neighboring Iowa and Colorado, which have legal sports betting, for guidance.

In Tennessee’s fledgling sports gambling marketplace, FanDuel, BetMGM, and DraftKings were granted licenses. Deadwood would outsource its oddsmaking as well.

It would make economic sense for Deadwood to be partnering with oddsmakers, so I think that will be the model that we’re looking at,” said Mike Rodman, the executive director of the Deadwood Gaming Association, to Casino.org. “There have been several companies that have reached out and would like to have those conversations with us.”

Amendment B also allows sports gambling at tribal-run casinos.

Economic Impact

An analysis conducted in 2018 by the South Dakota Legislative Research Council projected gross revenue on sports gambling to surpass $2 million. Rodman, however, cited an Oxford Economics study that projected gross revenue of $6.1 million.

That was before Iowa and Colorado [legalized sports gambling]. You just look at the numbers coming out of neighboring states, we know that’s very conservative,” Rodman said in explaining the difference.

Beyond the direct impact of sports gambling, the Oxford study projected another $22.1 million would be wagered in Deadwood’s casinos. Plus, there would be additional hotel and food and beverage revenue.

We approached this, one, to keep Deadwood relevant. We wanted to be able to compete on a level playing field,” Rodman said to Casino.org. “And, two, we knew that it would drive further visitation to Deadwood, particularly in the times of the year that we really need it. That’s what we’re most excited about.”

According to the Deadwood Gaming Association, its casinos during the fiscal-year that ended June 30 contributed almost $14.7 million in tax revenue for historic preservation and tourism, as well as city, county, and state governments.

Beyond the finances, Johns said Amendment B recognizes the reality that people were betting on games anyway.

“I know it goes on, and it always has,” Johns said. “It’s nice to legalize what people have already done anyway. And it’s another tax revenue for the state and the city of Deadwood, and we need it. We need the state competitive. Iowa has it. A lot of people over on the east side of the state, I’d bet my bottom dollar that that’s where they’re wagering, is right across the line in Iowa. So, we can gain back some of the business that we’ve lost.”

Meanwhile, police are investigating a shooting that took place during what was called a “Deadweird Halloween event” at a historic Deadwood gaming property and bar.

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Overall, those wouldn’t be the worst results for the sportsbook.

With the NFL season at an unofficial midpoint, the defending champion Chiefs are +350 to win the Super Bowl, followed by the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers at +600 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at +700. The Bucs, since signing legendary quarterback Tom Brady during the offseason, opened the season at +1,500 and are FanDuel’s biggest liability.

The Chiefs are No. 1 by handle (and bet count) and also a big liability as the preseason favorites. They are followed by the Buccaneers, Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Seahawks.

While Wilson has the biggest handle, Murray is FanDuel’s biggest liability.

For Offensive Rookie of the Year, two quarterbacks – Herbert at -110 and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow at +120 – are the runaway leaders. Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson is a distant third at +1,400. Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Chase Claypool, who vaulted into the race with a four-touchdown performance vs. Philadelphia on Oct. 11, is +2,000 and the biggest liability.

Thursday Night Game

What’s left of the San Francisco 49ers will host the Green Bay Packers in the Thursday night game.

The Packers opened as 2.5-point favorites but that line had jumped to 7 by midday Thursday. The game has been taken off the board twice – first due to 49ers injuries and then a COVID scare within the 49ers.

We reposted at Packers -6.5. Then we found out two more starters are out and the game went to Packers -7. It’s hard to believe this game is being played,” Ed Salmons, the vice president of risk management and oddsmaking at Westgate SuperBook, told Casino.org.

San Francisco has been mangled by injuries, so this matchup won’t even look a little like last year’s NFC Championship Game, which the 49ers won 37-20. With stalwarts such as defensive linemen Nick Bosa and Dee Ford, cornerback Richard Sherman and running back Raheem Mostert on injured reserve, the 49ers’ inactives list will include quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, tight end George Kittle and receiver Deebo Samuel.

And if that’s not enough, receiver Kendrick Bourne tested positive for COVID-19 and left tackle Trent Williams and receiver Brandon Aiyuk were deemed high-risk close contacts, so none of those three will play, either.

Green Bay has captured 96 percent of the spread money at FanDuel.

Week 9 Schedule

Here is this week’s lineup. The biggest spread has the lone undefeated team, Pittsburgh (7-0), as a 14-point favorite over Dallas (2-6), which will be starting its fourth different quarterback of the season. Here are the spreads from SuperBook.

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Ewing (R-Spearfish) is one of the sponsors of Amendment B, which will be on the ballot for Tuesday’s election. If it passes, it would allow the South Dakota Legislature to include betting on sporting events at Deadwood’s multitude of casinos.

People are already participating,” Ewing told Casino.org on Monday. “They’ve been doing it illegally, but it’s been happening anyway. This will solve that problem and people will have a little more comfort level betting on their favorite teams.”

An analysis conducted in 2018 by the South Dakota Legislative Research Council projected gross revenue on sports gambling to surpass $2 million. A gaming industry study predicted triple that amount.

If Amendment B passes, the first bets could be taken sometime during the second half of 2021.

Historic Deadwood

In its heyday, Deadwood had a population of about 25,000. The legendary Wild Bill Hickok was killed playing poker in the city in 1876. Today, the population is about 1,300. But it is home to a bustling casino scene that has made it an invaluable part of the state.

According to the South Dakota Legislative Research Council study, Deadwood’s casinos generate a gross revenue that tops $100 million per year. According to the Deadwood Gaming Association, its casinos during the fiscal-year that ended June 30 contributed almost $14.7 million in tax revenue for historic preservation and tourism, as well as city, county, and state governments.

“Deadwood receives a pretty good chunk of it, but they, in turn, share it in our local area with the schools and the towns,” Ewing said. “A lot of it goes to historic preservation, which isn’t just for Deadwood. They give funds all over the state of South Dakota for worthy projects. They’re very generous with the money.”

There are 25 casinos in Deadwood, the first opening in 1989. In 2014, 57 percent of voters passed an amendment that expanded Deadwood’s offerings with craps, keno, and roulette. The addition of sports gambling is the next step in their evolution, proponents say.

I’ve always supported Deadwood and their gaming in our community because it’s a huge asset for our community, as well as the state and the funds that they receive from all of it,” Ewing said.

“I’ve always supported them adding different games due to the fact that communities that surround us in other states have a lot of these games already. It puts Deadwood on a more level playing field.”

If Amendment B passes, the Legislature will set up the rules and regulations, as well as determine whether there will be? apps for online betting.

“We think the Legislature will look at that, because it is being successfully done in both Iowa and Colorado right now, and that would give everyone in South Dakota that option to legally bet on sporting events,” said Mike Rodman, the executive director of the Deadwood Gaming Association, to DakotaNewsNow.com.

Fear of Gambling Addiction

One of the opponents of Ewing’s bill is the Speaker of the House, Steven Haugaard (R-Sioux Falls). His concerns are two-fold. The first is the limited upside. The aforementioned report from the South Dakota Legislative Research Council projects additional tax revenue of less than $185,000. The second is an increased risk of gambling addiction.

“This isn’t a liberty issue or a revenue issue, this is a life issue,” Haugaard wrote in a pamphlet assembled by South Dakota’s office of the secretary of state that explains the pros and cons of Amendment B and other ballot questions.

“Sports can already be an obsession. It shouldn’t be a training ground for young people to develop a gambling addiction. The few dollars that would come from sports betting pales in comparison to the damage it causes. We are the second-most gambling dependent state in the nation. We don’t need to make that worse.”

Ewing acknowledged Haugaard’s concerns, but said the positives outweigh the risks.

No one’s got a gun held to their head telling them they have to gamble. It’s a permissive thing that those folks that do enjoy it will have that opportunity,” he told Casino.org.

Amendment B also would allow sports gambling at the state’s tribal-run casinos.

Gov. Kristi Noem, who opposed a similar measure in 2019, has reversed course this time.

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The upsets started on Thursday, with the Atlanta Falcons beating the Carolina Panthers. The streak continued through the first wave of games on Sunday, which included three big upsets of teams that were heavily favored and heavily bet. In the afternoon, the Denver Broncos upset the Los Angeles Chargers with a last-play touchdown.

In all, of the 13 games played on Thursday and Sunday, the underdog didn’t just cover. It won outright.

‘Really Good for the Book’

At FanDuel, the Green Bay Packers as 6-point favorites received 93 percent of the spread money against the Minnesota Vikings. The Los Angeles Rams as 3-point favorites received 78 percent of the spread money against the Miami Dolphins. The Tennessee Titans as 7-point favorites received 76 percent of the spread money against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The underdogs won relatively handily. Minnesota won 28-22, but led by two touchdowns deep into the fourth quarter. Cincinnati won 31-20. The Dolphins, in rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s debut, cruised 28-17.

Overall, it was a good day,” said Andrew Mannino, the senior sports content analyst at PointsBet, to Casino.org. “A lot of dogs winning, which puts us in a good position. Overall, the day was really good for the book. The Dolphins were good, the Bengals were good, the Vikings were good. We gave a bit back on the Chiefs and the Seahawks, but those three big upsets were really good for us.”

The Kansas City Chiefs, a rare 19.5-point favorite over the New York Jets, took care of business 35-9. A 41-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to Tyreek Hill with about 11 minutes left provided the necessary points.

The number was certainly big, but I think the Chiefs are very good and the Jets are very bad, and people were expecting the result,” Mannino said.

With the Chiefs -2,105 on the money line at PointsBet, a bettor’s $40,000 wager on Kansas City meant a reward of $1,900.

FanDuel’s Tennessee sportsbook opened. The first bet was a 10-cent wager on the Indianapolis Colts at -2.5 vs. the Detroit Lions. The payout was 18 cents.?????

Monday Night Football

Tom Brady and Eli Manning hooked up in some classic battles while quarterbacks of the New England Patriots and New York Giants.

Monday night’s battle between the Brady-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Daniel Jones-led Giants isn’t quite the same thing.

The Buccaneers are 12.5-point favorites almost universally at sportsbooks. It got up to as high as 13 on Monday at PointsBet before moving back a bit. About 84 percent of the spread bets were on the Bucs as of Monday morning, Mannino said.

It’s sort of a lesser version of the same thing,” Mannino said in comparing this game to Chiefs-Jets. “The Giants are bad and the Bucs are pretty good. The vast majority of the bets are coming in on the Bucs. It’s lopsided, with people trying to finish off their parlays with the Bucs.”

About 91 percent of the money is on the over of the 46-point total.

“The Giants haven’t shown anything. They can’t stop anybody. For whatever problems the Bucs might have, they look like a competent professional football team. I don’t think bettors are going to want any part of the Giants,” Mannino said.

Meanwhile, Week 9 is off to a bumpy start. Green Bay’s game at the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday is off the board at numerous sportsbooks, including Westgate SuperBook, because of an injury to Niners quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and COVID-19 concerns for the Packers.

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Under new coach Mike McCarthy, the Cowboys entered the season as solid favorites in the NFC East and as low as +1,200 to win the Super Bowl. Even after starting quarterback Dak Prescott sustained a broken ankle, the Cowboys remained the pick to win the division.

Instead, the Dallas start to the season has only gotten worse.

Cowboys Huge Underdogs

The Cowboys enter Sunday night’s game at the Philadelphia Eagles with a 2-5 record. Not only is Prescott out, but veteran backup Andy Dalton will miss the game with a concussion. So, with rookie Ben DiNucci thrust into the lineup at quarterback, and with the NFL’s worst scoring defense, the Cowboys are 11-point underdogs.

The game opened at 7.5.

The game being pushed this high is all about DiNucci,” said Johnny Avello, the director of race and sportsbook operations for DraftKings, to Casino.org.

The Cowboys haven’t been underdogs of 11-plus points since 2010 against the New York Giants. With Jon Kitna starting for injured Tony Romo that day, Dallas won 33-20.

The Cowboys are the only team in the NFL that’s winless against the number. That’s meant some easy money for sportsbooks.

Yeah, you know, American’s team,” Avello said, with a laugh. “People bet them quite often. The Cowboys are 0-7 against the spread, and the bettors have probably had it with the Cowboys because they don’t have a cover and they’re actually burning their money.

“There were much higher expectations for this team. The betting public believed the Cowboys would win the NFC East and contend for the Super Bowl. But that’s not the case right now. They’re life and death to get maybe six wins this year. That’s the funny part about the division. Six wins could possibly win it.”

He’s right. The Eagles are in first place with a 2-4-1 record, the Washington Football Team and Cowboys are 2-5, and the New York Giants are 1-6. Of the teams’ combined seven wins, five have come in divisional games. Combined, they’ve been outscored by 184 points.

Who is Ben DiNucci?

DiNucci was a seventh-round draft pick out of James Madison, which isn’t exactly a football factory. In fact, he’s the only quarterback in school history to even play in an NFL game, let alone start one. As a senior, he led FCS with a completion rate of 70.9 percent, threw 29 touchdowns vs. six interceptions, and added 569 rushing yards and seven more scores. He wasn’t even on the active roster for the Cowboys’ first five games of the season.

“For me, this is an opportunity of a lifetime,” DiNucci said in a Thursday Zoom call with reporters. “As a rookie and a seventh-rounder coming in, you see Dak and Andy at the top of the depth chart, and it’s like, ‘There’s no chance that I’m going to be on the field this year.’ But hey, it is 2020. What else do you expect?”

At DraftKings, his over/unders are 210.5 passing yards (-112 on both sides of the line) and 1.5 touchdowns (+190 on the over, -245 on the under). In a head-to-head matchup against Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, Wentz is -215 to have more passing yards, compared to +170 for DiNucci.

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The Chiefs (6-1) are 19.5-point favorites over the Jets (0-7). Just how rare is that? According to Stathead.com, there have been only nine games since 2000 in which one team was a favorite by at least 19 points.

Crushing Chiefs and Crashing Jets

The reason for the big point spread is obvious. After winning the Super Bowl last season, Kansas City is the favorite to win the championship again this season. The Jets, meanwhile, have been outscored by 16.9 points per game – more than a touchdown worse than any other team.

The game opened at 20.5, but has dipped by a point.

That’s not because the Jets are a good team,” said Johnny Avello, the director of race and sportsbook operations for DraftKings, to Casino.org. “That’s because 20.5 is almost three touchdowns. The Chiefs figure to win this game easily, though the Jets played better last week defensively [in an 18-10 loss to Buffalo].

“Let’s just say the Chiefs are up 27-0 and the Jets have the ball last, there’s always a chance to cover. I’ve seen a lot of 20-point spreads in my career. But it’s usually a game that the bettors don’t bet as heavily as they do others, because the spread is too high and too many things can happen late in the game.”

While the Chiefs are overwhelming favorites to win the game, they aren’t collecting an overwhelming amount of the public’s money. On the money line as of Saturday morning, the Chiefs are -2000 and the Jets are +1,150 at DraftKings. It’s even more one-sided at Westgate SuperBook, where the Chiefs are -5,000 and the Jets are +1,500.

If you want to bet the Chiefs on the moneyline, you can lay 20 to win 1. I don’t think anybody’s going to be interested in doing that,” Avello said. “When you put a line up like that, you’re only going to draw one-sided action, and that’s the Jets. People are going to take a shot at 12/1 and they’re not laying 1/20. They just won’t do it.”

It’s worth noting that of those nine aforementioned 19-plus-point favorites over the last two decades, the favorite is 9-0 overall and 7-2 against the spread.

Steelers at Ravens Showdown

The Pittsburgh Steelers (6-0) and Baltimore Ravens (5-1) might be the best rivalry in the NFL. Usually, it’s a rock-’em, sock-’em sort of defensive battle. Not anymore. The Steelers are sixth in the NFL with 30.5 points per game, while the Ravens are eighth with 29.8 points per game.

While Pittsburgh is the last undefeated team in the NFL, Baltimore’s a 4-point favorite. The Ravens are coming off a bye week in which it acquired pass-rushing defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.

Most of the money’s on the Steelers, and I can’t blame the general public for betting the Steelers,” Avello said. “Normally, when these teams meet, the spread’s not more than 3, 3.5. The Ravens cannot afford to fall behind two games in the division, so they’re certainly going to give their best effort here.”

Another AFC North team, the surprising Cleveland Browns (5-2), is hosting the Las Vegas Raiders (3-3). Cleveland is a 2.5-point favorite, but the public is backing Las Vegas.

“The Raiders have 90 percent of the money so far, both on the spread and the money line,” Avello said. “The bettors don’t seem to care that Baker Mayfield had probably the best game of his life last week against the Bengals, with 21 straight completions and five touchdown passes. It’s true, they don’t have (injured receiver Odell) Beckham. But they face a Raiders team that’s at the bottom of the NFL against the pass.”

According to NumberFire.com, the most-lopsided game from a money perspective is Minnesota at Green Bay. As 6-point favorites, the Packers (5-1) were receiving 94 percent of the bets and 91 percent of the money.

Week 8 Schedule

Here is this week’s schedule, with betting lines from DraftKings as of Saturday morning. All times are Eastern.

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Eating a pound of candy corn.

Actually, the candy corn is only the leadoff leg of the Halloween Candy Bowl, which will be staged at Beer Park in front of the Bellagio’s fountains and streamed on DraftKings’ YouTube and Twitter pages. The six-eater field will be tasked with eating six one-pound bags of, in order, candy corn, Kit Kats, M&Ms, Milky Ways, Snickers, and Reese’s Minis over a span of six minutes.

“Candy corn was a baptism-by-fire kind of thing for all of us, to start with one pound of that. I can’t imagine it’s anyone’s favorite kind of candy,” said Miki Sudo, the only female in the field, to Casino.org.

Sweet But Unsavory

The sweet contest is juxtaposed with a surge of gunfire and assaults on or near the Strip. Recently, Las Vegas police began seizing guns and beefed up its late-night presence to stem the tide of crime.

Having arrived in Las Vegas early for the event, Shea didn’t believe any extra steps would be required to make the contestants safe.

The casino has significant security throughout the facility,” said George Shea, who, with his brother Richard Shea, founded Major League Eating, to Casino.org. “It seems to me that it’s exactly regular Vegas, except at 27 percent occupancy. We’re not bringing in additional security because, from our perspective, there’s no threat.”

With his entertaining, over-the-top commentary as master of ceremonies for the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, Shea is almost as legendary as Chestnut in the competitive-eating world. DraftKings became an official partner of the Nathan’s event this year. From that sprung a three-event eating extravaganza centered on America’s festivals of food: Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the Super Bowl.

The dialogue just naturally came out of that relationship,” Shea said. “The concept developed to hold these three events. The eating contests have a good following and a good vibe, and people like the energy and the great heroes like Joey Chestnut. There’s something about it that’s a lot of fun.”

Chestnut, who has won 13 of the last 14 hot-dog contests, is the favorite. Here are the odds at DraftKings for Saturday’s event.

The odds of one of the competitors eating all 6 pounds of candy is 10/11.

“Six pounds is a significant amount of candy to eat in six minutes,” Shea said, matter-of-factly.

About the Candy Corn

Johnny Avello, the director of race and sportsbook operations for DraftKings, said it’s “hard to say” how much betting action the Halloween Candy Bowl will generate.

Here’s what he did know:

The candy corn’s brutal. The M&Ms on a good day, I might be able to eat a pound of those – especially the peanut,” he said.

This year, the Web site Candystore.com surveyed more than 20,000 people about their taste in candy. Candy corn came in last place. Naturally, Shea put it front and center for Saturday’s event.

“When this first started getting knocked around, my first, 100 percent ‘must’ was we have to have candy corn. It’s so terrific and absurd in its own way,” Shea said.

There are eating contests for everything under the sun, from milk and cookies and strawberry shortcake on the sweet side, to tamales and baked beans on the savory side.

This will be unlike anything that we’ve done before,” Sudo said. “It’s all different kinds of textures. Candy corn’s going to require a different technique than Snickers. I’ve practiced a little bit at home to find out what works best for me.”

The event features a $5,000 cash purse. The winner will get $2,500 and a five-foot trophy that looks like a toothbrush.

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For Atlanta (1-6), it’s running back Todd Gurley, whose unwanted touchdown late in last week’s game against Detroit resulted in a major swing at sportsbooks. For Carolina (3-4), it’s the almost-return of injured running back Christian McCaffrey.

It’s a standalone Thursday night game, so we’ll run a ton of business,” William Hill director of trading Nick Bogdanovich told Casino.org. “We could have a JV Nebraska football game on Thursday and, as long as it was on TV and it was by itself, we’re going to write a ton of business.”

The Panthers, who won at Atlanta 23-16 just 18 days ago, are 2- to 2.5-point favorites.

Falling Falcons

If NFL games lasted only 30 minutes, Atlanta would be a powerhouse. The Falcons have outscored opponents 101-84 in the first half of games, but have been outscored 123-83 in the second half.

Atlanta, they just implode every week. I’ve never seen a team since the 28-3 Super Bowl debacle blow so many big leads,” Bogdanovich said, referencing the Falcons’ 34-28 loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl LI. “They play some good football, and, at the end, you know somehow they’re going to lose. It’s crazy. At some point, they’ve got to be so demoralized.”

That fall-from-ahead trend continued in Sunday’s 23-22 loss at home to Detroit.

The Lions led 16-14, but the Falcons had driven to Detroit’s 10-yard line in the final moments. With time running out and the Lions not having any timeouts to stop the seconds from ticking away, all the Falcons had to do was drain the clock and kick a field goal on the final play.

Instead, Gurley ran practically unchecked up the middle. He belatedly tried to stop himself short of the goal line but failed. The touchdown put the Falcons ahead 22-16 but left the Lions 1:04 to drive to the winning touchdown.

The Falcons were 1.5-point favorites.

“It was a two-way action game so it really didn’t matter one way or another for us,” Bogdanovich said. “I know it mattered to a lot of people, depending on which side of the bad beat you were on.”

With only one win and an early coaching change, the Falcons might not get near their preseason over/under of 7.5 wins.

McCaffrey Not Expected to Play

The “million-dollar question,” in the words of Bogdanovich, was the fate of McCaffrey. Arguably the NFL’s best all-purpose running back and a preseason favorite for Offensive Player of the Year, McCaffrey has been sidelined since Week 2 by an ankle injury. He returned to practice this week, but is not expected to play.

At one point, he was worth a couple full points” on the line, Bogdanovich told Casino.org. “Now he’s not worth as much because, one, his backup [Mike Davis] has performed good and, two, he’s probably not at 100 percent.”

In fact, an NFL Network report of McCaffrey’s expected absence on Thursday morning didn’t change lines at all. Davis had a big game against the Falcons on Oct. 11 with 89 rushing yards and nine receptions for 60 yards.

Week 8 Schedule

Here is this week’s schedule, with betting lines from William Hill as of Thursday morning. All times are Eastern.

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Gambling provides about 90 percent of tribal revenue for the Potawatomi tribe. The tribe owns the largest casino in the state, located in Milwaukee, and a smaller casino in the Forest County community of Carter.

COVID has had a significant negative impact on our casino operations,” Jeff Crawford, attorney general for the Forest County Potawatomi Community, told Casino.org. “We estimate that our economic losses are easily over $100 million, which is a significant amount for any business, but especially for our tribe.”

Without that revenue, the tribe has been forced to eliminate almost 2,000 jobs and slash budgets. That’s the story for all 11 Wisconsin tribes that operate casinos.

Soaring COVID-19 Numbers

COVID-19 continues to rage through Wisconsin at the third-highest rate in the nation. On Tuesday, the state set yet another record for positive cases. While casinos are open again after being closed for about three months in the spring, progress has been slow. The slot machines are humming, but it’s been anything but business as usual.

In Milwaukee, we started out with an invite-only type of system focusing on our players clubs and our high rollers, Crawford told Casino.org. Then we had a capacity limit and limits on the number of hours somebody could be in for one session. So, it wasn’t the full gaming experience.”

Crawford says that the casino has been allowed to increase the number of people allowed in. The current capacity is 3,000 visitors, but that is still at less than 50 percent capacity.

As is the case at casinos around the country, the Potawatomi have instituted safety plans to keep staff and customers safe. Before they enter the casino, temperatures are checked. Once inside the casino, masks are mandatory. Plexiglas provides a barrier between slot machines. However, table games such as blackjack have been eliminated. Other than to-go orders, the restaurants are closed.

Additional expenses and declining revenue are bad for business.

“It’s severely restricting normal operations,” Crawford said.

Bad for Tribe, Too

Tribes depend on casino revenue to fund their governmental operations.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Administration, the agency that regulates tribal gaming, the state’s 26 casinos generated about $1.27 billion in revenue during fiscal-year 2018-19, the most recent fiscal-year with available data. Total handle statewide reached a record of $17.55 billion.

Obviously, with the impact of COVID-19 moving into the eighth month, that income is down sharply. That trickles down to individual tribal members, starting with a reduced workforce. According to Crawford, 1,600 employees were furloughed in July from the Milwaukee casino, and 200 tribal government employees were furloughed in Forest County.

That was just the start of the penny-pinching. Money from the federal CARES Act helped. But it arrived late and fell short of expectations, Crawford said.

The money that went back to the tribal government completely funded our health-care programs, our education programs, our elderly programs, and all of your standard governmental programs to help your citizens,” Crawford told Casino.org. “All of those programs took significant hits to their budgets and we had to cut back on services. So, there’s been a lot of belt-tightening.”

Forest County’s population is about 9,000. Over the last 12 months, unemployment there has risen from 3.8 percent to 11 percent. The casino is the largest employer in Forest County and among the top 25 largest employers in Milwaukee County.

“It’s devastating,” Crawford said. Like everyone, he craves a return to normalcy, full casinos, and better days for the tribe.

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I think the return of Big Ten football has definitely made the season feel more official. For the first couple months, it has felt if something was off, and I think this may have been the missing piece,” Matthew Metcalf, the sportsbook director for Circa Sports, told Casino.org.

“The action we saw the past weekend on the Big Ten games was significant, despite none of these teams having played a game yet. The Wisconsin game [against Illinois] on Friday night significantly impacted our handle and was a great way to start the weekend.”

By next week, the college football schedule will really have an air of normalcy, as all the major conferences will be back on the field. The Mid-American Conference kicks off its season on Wednesday, Nov. 4. A few days later, the Pac-12 Conference will start its season with a full Saturday slate of games.

Double the Fun

With that, the number of games available for betting will have gone from about 25 to more than 50, said Ed Salmons, the vice president of risk management and oddsmaking at Westgate SuperBook.

College football has always been popular in Nevada. Obviously this year with so few games for the first seven weeks, the handle was down,” Salmons told Casino.org.

“The Big Ten is always the first- or second-most popular conference, so the return of them was huge. Getting MAC games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights will be very good for business, as well as the Pac-12 returning. It’s a big deal here and we are very happy to have it.”

This week’s slate of games lacks a signature showdown. There’s only one Top 25 matchup, with No. 3 Ohio State at No. 18 Penn State. Meanwhile, No. 9 Wisconsin’s game at Nebraska is in jeopardy because of COVID. Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz and his backup reportedly are among members of the Badgers who have tested positive.

Loving the MACtion

The Big Ten wasn’t the only conference to belatedly start its season. So did the Mountain West. That conference’s late kickoffs mean more opportunities for bettors.

The return of the Big Ten was huge, no doubt about it. Even though the SEC claims to be the king and has won a few more national titles than most lately, the Big Ten’s still huge business for us,” said Nick Bogdanovich, the director of trading at William Hill, to Casino.org.

“Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State – those are huge-bet games. To have them back was a big shot in the arm. The first five weeks, we were done at 5 o’clock our time. Now, with the Mountain West, we have some 7:30 games. The combo of the two is really good.”

Bogdanovich joked that a JV game, if the only game on TV at the time, would get bettors’ interest. Hence, the made-for-TV nature of the MAC schedule makes it made for gambling as well. When its season starts next week, all six games will be played on Wednesday, and all six will be on TV. The following week, the six games are split between Tuesday and Wednesday and, again, are all on TV.

“The MAC’s the perfect example. If it’s Tuesday and Wednesday and it’s on TV, they’re betting it,” Bogdanovich said. “The MAC’s got good football. All you’ve got to do is look at the NFL. Up and down the rosters, there’s MAC kids on it.”

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With a 1-5 record, the Washington Football Team opened as a 3-point underdog against the Dallas Cowboys but moved to a 1-point favorite at kickoff. The Cowboys attracted 76 percent of the spread money at PointsBet. Washington won 25-3.

With an 0-5 record, the New York Jets opened as 13-point underdogs against the Buffalo Bills. The spread was down to 10 by kickoff.

Buffalo garnered 88 percent of the spread money at PointsBet. The Jets, who not only were winless overall but winless against the spread, lost only 18-10.

‘Underwhelming Day’

The day took a turn for the worse in the afternoon games. As 4-point favorites against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had 86 percent of the spread money. As 7-point favorites over the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Los Angeles Chargers had 74 percent of the spread money. As 7-point favorites over the Denver Broncos, the Kansas City Chiefs had 89 percent of the spread money.

Bettors won handily, with the Bucs winning 45-20, the Chiefs 43-16, and the Chargers 39-29.

It was a pretty underwhelming day for us,” said Andrew Mannino, the senior sports content analyst at PointsBet, to Casino.org. “Washington and the Jets winning sort of kept us alive. The Packers and the Bucs both winning their games hurt us pretty bad. The Steelers winning hurt us pretty bad. The Cardinals bailed us out at the end of the day and prevented it from being a much worse day.”

In the night game, the Seattle Seahawks were 3.5-point favorites over the Arizona Cardinals. The Seahawks had 76 percent of the spread money but lost in overtime. The result was the best of the day for PointsBet and helped negate some of the afternoon losses.

The Cleveland Browns closed as 3.5-point favorites over the Cincinnati Bengals, with 83 percent of the spread money on Cleveland. The Browns won 37-34 on Baker Mayfield’s touchdown pass to Donovan People-Jones with 11 seconds remaining. The extra point failed, so Cleveland failed to cover the spread. PointsBet offered Browns bettors a “Good Karma” refund.

At BetMGM, a Las Vegas bettor placed 23 NFL bets worth $2.56 million, according to ESPN, and won a net $2.3 million.

Bears at Rams on Monday Night

Week 7 ends on Monday night, with the Chicago Bears playing at the Los Angeles Rams in a battle of two of the NFL’s surprise teams. The Rams are consensus 6-point favorites. The total is 44.5.

Bettors like the Bears in a big way tonight, so we’ll be rooting for the Rams and for the over for the first time in a while,” Mannino said.

As of midday Monday, 85 percent of the spread money was on the Bears, and 70 percent of the money was on the under. That put sportsbooks in the rare position of pulling for the favorite and the over.

The Bears (5-1) have posted a pair of big fourth-quarter comebacks, rallying from 17 down in Week 1 vs. Detroit and 16 down in Week 3 vs. Atlanta. Despite the excellent record, they’re in the middle of the pack at +3,300 to win the Super Bowl.

The Rams (4-2) are led by defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who has a league-leading 7.5 sacks, and quarterback Jared Goff, who has an NFL-leading 141.1 passer rating in the fourth quarter. They are +2,500 to win the Super Bowl, only a slight improvement from the start of the season.

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Wilson has led Seattle to a 5-0 start on the strength of a league-leading 129.8 passer rating, 19 touchdown passes, and 8.9 yards per attempt. His Seahawks are a 3.5-point favorite for the primetime matchup against their NFC West rivals.

MVP Race

At BetMGM, Wilson opened the season at +600 to win his first MVP. Now, he’s a commanding -130 at BetMGM, and -125 at DraftKings.

At this point, there’s not much reason to throw any money on Wilson.

Yeah, they would lay it if he thought he was locked in. But I don’t think he’s locked in yet,” said Johnny Avello, the director of race and sportsbook operations for DraftKings, to Casino.org.

“You’ve got guys behind him like Aaron Rodgers, who’s having a good year, although they lost their last game and it wasn’t his best game. You’ve got Patrick Mahomes at 4/1. Then it widens out. It’s double-digits on everybody. Lamar Jackson is 16. Derrick Henry, running backs usually don’t win this award – it’s an award won by quarterbacks, for the most part – but he’s 25/1. But, who knows?”

Wilson’s counterpart, Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray, is in the mix as well. Here are the MVP odds at BetMGM.

• Seattle QB Russell Wilson: -130.
• Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes: +550
• Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers: +600
• Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson: +1,800
• Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger: +2,000
• Tampa Bay QB Tom Brady: +2,000
• Tennessee RB Derrick Henry: +2,000
• Arizona QB Kyler Murray: +2,200

“There are some outsiders with some value,” DraftKings’ Avello said.

As for the Game …

Seattle opened as 3-point favorites against the Cardinals (4-2). It quickly moved to 3.5, and that’s where it stayed all week. As the early games got under way, Seattle had 71 percent of the bets and 69 percent of the spread money.

“Seattle’s grabbing the money across the number 3, which is a key number,” Avello said. “The early money is an indicator that the Seahawks are going to be bet all the way up to game time.”

After a bye, Wilson has a 6-1 record. If he throws four touchdown passes, he’d become the third quarterback in NFL history with at least 250 touchdown passes in his first nine seasons. The others are Peyton Manning and Dan Marino.

Arizona receiver Larry Fitzgerald needs one reception to join Jerry Rice as the only players with 1,400 career catches.

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For only the sixth time in the NFL’s Super Bowl era, two undefeated teams will square off in Week 7 or later. Both teams are 5-0 ahead of a game postponed a couple weeks ago after a COVID-19 outbreak sacked the Titans.

At DraftKings, Pittsburgh opened as a 1-point favorite. By Saturday morning, the line had swung to Tennessee by 1.5. Johnny Avello, DraftKings’ director of race and sportsbook operations, expects another big swing before kickoff.

I can see this game shifting back to probably pick ‘em, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Steelers actually ended up going off the table,” Avello told Casino.org.

The Titans, who reached the AFC Championship Game last season, but weren’t considered prime contenders entering this season, are 5-0 for the first time since starting 10-0 in 2008. The perennially strong Steelers are 5-0 for the first time since 1978. Powered by running back Derrick Henry, the Titans are No. 2 in the NFL in total offense. The sack-happy Steelers are No. 2 in total defense.

More Betting Swings

The Dallas Cowboys opened as 2.5-point favorites against the Washington Football Team in a clash of bad teams playing in the woeful NFC East. By Saturday, Washington was a 1-point favorite.

When you look at last week’s game, you say, ‘Andy Dalton had a bad game. He’s not the answer,’” Avello said of the Cowboys. “But he threw 50 times last week, and that’s just not what they need to do. (Ezekiel) Elliott had a couple fumbles. He rarely does that. The Cowboys have been giving up droves of points.

“I think this is another game, when the players get into the handicapping of it and knowing that the Cowboys are the more popular team, I think this game will go the other way, and Dallas goes off as a 1-point favorite, or maybe a little more.”

The big line of the week has the Buffalo Bills as commanding 10.5-point favorites over the New York Jets.

“The Bills lost to the Chiefs last week, and it doesn’t even matter, because the Jets are a bet-against each week,” Avello told Casino.org. “Until the bettors see something with the Jets, they’re going to continue to bet against them. The Jets are 32nd in points scored and they’re 29th in points allowed. The Bills have 90 percent of the money on the spread and the moneyline.”

This spread is nothing compared to next week’s early betting. The Jets are 20-point underdogs at the Kansas City Chiefs and it “could get higher,” Avello said.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were supposed to play the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday night. Instead, with the Raiders’ offensive line in COVID-19 quarantine and questionable to play, the game was moved to Sunday afternoon, and the Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals was moved into the prime-time slot. The Buccaneers are 3.5-point favorites at most sportsbooks.

Week 7 Schedule

Here is the Week 7 schedule, with the point spreads from DraftKings as of Saturday morning. All times are Eastern.

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The Dodgers have been the favorites to win Major League Baseball’s championship all season, and that’s continued into the World Series.

At PointsBet, the Dodgers are -200 and the Rays are +160. At FanDuel, the Dodgers are -210 and the Rays +176. It’s Dodgers -200 and Rays +175 at Westgate SuperBook.

The gulf between those odds has expanded.

We opened with the Dodgers at $1.80 to win the World Series against Tampa, and now they’re up to $2.20. The money’s pouring in on the Dodgers,” said Nick Bogdanovich, the director of trading at William Hill, to Casino.org.

Los Angeles is the favorite for the series and in Game 1. The World Series will be held at Globe Life Field, the Texas Rangers’ stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Money Matchup

That the Dodgers are playing in their third World Series in four years should be no surprise. According to Spotrac, their team payroll of $107.9 million was the second-highest in baseball. They won an MLB-high 43 games.

The Rays’ payroll of $28.3 million not only is the third-cheapest, but it’s barely more than the Dodgers are paying pitcher Clayton Kershaw ($16.3 million) and outfielder Mookie Betts ($10 million) combined. Still, their 40 wins were the second-most in MLB.

It should be a heck of a series. Anytime you get the best teams from each league going at it, that’s always a good thing,” Bogdanovich said.

“Obviously, the Dodgers have been in the finals a zillion times. It’s the No. 2 media market vs. a small one, David vs. Goliath. Tampa, for the longest time, they’ve played in the worst park. They should have probably moved 10 times but they haven’t and they’re there. We’re definitely going to be rooting David vs. Goliath,” he continued.

William Hill’s not alone.

At PointsBet, the Dodgers and New York Yankees entered the season as championship co-favorites. With a national following, the Dodgers were bet heavily all season.

They’ve basically been our No. 2 all season in terms of bet count and liability,” said Patrick Eichner, PointsBet’s director of communications, to Casino.org. “It’ll be a big loss for us if they go ahead and capture the crown, just with how hyped they were going into the season. They’ve been a popular pick all along.”

According to the director of publicity Kevin Hennessy, FanDuel will win either way, but the Rays would be the “much better” result. The popularity of the New York Yankees is why FanDuel is in a good position.

Strong Action

While the NFL dominates the sports landscape, Eichner said PointsBet has seen strong action on the World Series.

The Dodgers are one of the few franchises that can dub themselves a national MLB team,” Eichner said. “With the Dodgers involved, there’s a lot of action. There’s great interest. It is the World Series. It looks like we’ll probably perform better than last year with Houston and the Nationals. Having the Dodgers involved is nice for us.”

At midday Tuesday, Ed Salmons, the vice president of risk management and oddsmaking at SuperBook, called the series action “decent.” However, as first pitch approached, he said the “action has really picked up” on Game 1 and the series as a whole.

“We have seen more money by a 2-1 [ratio] for the Rays,” he noted.

In Game 1, three-time Cy Young Award winner Kershaw will pitch for the Dodgers against Tampa Bay’s Tyler Glasnow. Not unlike the rosters in total, Kershaw has an enormous edge based on name recognition, which is one reason why the Dodgers are consensus 1.5-run favorites.

However, his playoff history has zoomed up and down like an elevator. In his last five postseason starts, he’s had an earned-run average of 7-plus three times. On the other hand, he started this postseason by shutting out the Milwaukee Brewers for eight innings.

Dodgers stars Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager are the favorites in FanDuel’s World Series MVP market at +800.? At PointsBet, Betts is +800 and Kershaw +900, with Glasnow the Rays’ best bet at +1,000.

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Ultimately, those games were surpassed by the Sunday night game between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers.

All three went into the victory column for PointsBet.

It was a great day for us, overall,” said Andrew Mannino, the senior sports content analyst at PointsBet, to Casino.org. “We had big results on the Bucs, big results on the 49ers in the late game, the Bears were another really good result, and the Eagles covering. It was a good day all around for the book.”

Week 6 of the NFL season concludes with a Monday doubleheader. The first is a showdown between two AFC heavyweights, the Kansas City Chiefs (4-1) at Buffalo Bills (4-1). The second pits the Arizona Cardinals (3-2) at Dallas Cowboys (2-3).

Bucs Blowout

In the game of the day between two NFC powers and two elite quarterbacks, the Tom Brady-led Buccaneers pulverized Aaron Rodgers and the formerly undefeated Packers 38-10.

As a 2-point favorite, Green Bay had 85 percent of the spread tickets and 86 percent of the spread handle at PointsBet. It raced to a 10-0 lead before Rodgers threw two interceptions to turn the tide. The first throw was returned for a touchdown.

The Bucs led 38-10 through three quarters and neither team scored in the fourth, meaning the 54.5-point total went under. That was another win for PointsBet since 92 percent of the handle was placed on the over.

In the night game, the 49ers, as 2.5-point underdogs, beat the Rams 24-16. Los Angeles drew about 80 percent of the spread money.

In another strong result, the previously winless Atlanta Falcons, coming in as 3.5-point underdogs, thumped the Minnesota Vikings, 40-23. Almost 80 percent of the spread handle was on Minnesota.

Monday Games

The Chiefs, the reigning Super Bowl champions and the favorites to repeat, opened as 3.5-point favorites, but it was up to 5.5 points at midday Monday. According to Mannino, the Chiefs are getting 81 percent of the handle.

While the Chiefs’ favorite status has gained, the over/under has dipped from 57.5 to 55.5.

For the first time in a while, we’re seeing money coming in on the under tonight,” Mannino said. “Bettors have been loving the over all season with all the scoring going on all the time. This is the first game we’re actually seeing an under attracting most of the money.”

In the finale of the week, the Cowboys are 1-point favorites after opening the week as 2.5-point underdogs. It’s quite a flip, considering star quarterback Dak Prescott is out for the season and has been replaced by veteran Andy Dalton. The Cardinals have received two-thirds of the bet count, but 52 percent of the handle. Bettors have gone heavy on the over of the 55-point total.

“He’s such a dynamic player and he’s so important for the team, but they’re not in a bad way,” Mannino said of Dallas’ quarterback situation. “Dalton can move the ball. He’s not going to give the ball away. As far as losing your starting quarterback, Dallas is not in a terrible spot.”

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FanDuel is the exclusive sportsbook partner for Turner’s NBA programming. DraftKings is the official sportsbook for all other sports, including the Major League Baseball playoffs that air on Turner networks.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but the deals are expected to be win-win agreements. TV networks are looking for viewers to lift sagging ratings. Sportsbooks are looking to reach new customers and beat rival sportsbooks to land those customers.

FanDuel’s NBA Deal

The FanDuel deal grants it access to exclusive integrations within NBA content, including TNT live telecasts, Bleacher Report digital channels, and the B/R app. FanDuel will give basketball viewers sports betting insight and analysis directly integrated into the NBA viewing experience.

Together, we’re bringing viewership to the next level by offering exclusive sports betting content that’s directly integrated into their NBA programming,” said Mike Raffensperger, FanDuel’s chief marketing officer, in the announcement.

“We’ll be incorporating FanDuel Sportsbook odds and analysis into Turner Sport’s live broadcasts and Bleacher Report’s digital content, offering a new, enhanced, experience for NBA fans.”

FanDuel isn’t new to Turner’s NBA broadcasts. During the NBA’s Western Conference Finals, Turner streamed “TNT Bets” – an alternate live stream of games that offered real-time betting analysis and included FanDuel content. FanDuel odds also were integrated into TNT’s popular “Inside the NBA” studio show.

“NBA fans across TNT and Bleacher Report are responding well to sports betting content,” said Will Funk, Turner Sports’ executive vice president for sports partnerships and branded content. “We’ve already seen this with the TV and digital elements we’ve designed with FanDuel this past season, and are excited to expand our partnership. Our collective goal is to grow NBA audience via engaging FanDuel interactive gaming experiences integrated across Turner Sports’ platforms.”

DraftKings Partnership

While FanDuel will handle the NBA, DraftKings will be the exclusive sportsbook for other sports and the daily fantasy sports provider for Turner Sports and Bleacher Report properties. Planned integrations will include custom content segments, DraftKings’ betting odds and daily fantasy statistics, and personalized automated alerts and editorial across B/R channels.

Those alerts are key to both deals. For example, say a game being aired by TNT is tied late in the contest. A text alert not only might persuade recipients to tune in for the end of the game, but to place a bet.

Regulated betting is quickly becoming a fixture of modern sports entertainment, and this collaboration with Turner Sports further scales the reach of our products and content to engage fans,” DraftKings’ chief business officer, Ezra Kucharz, said in a statement.

Along with the NBA, Turner Sports airs the American League baseball playoffs and NCAA men’s basketball tournament games. For now, March Madness is “not on the table,” Funk told CNBC.

DraftKings has also struck deals with ESPN, as well as basketball icon Michael Jordan.

The deals are just the latest part of the evolution between sports and gambling, a link once deemed taboo. Now, Las Vegas is home to professional teams in hockey (the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights) and football (the NFL’s Raiders). At this week’s PGA Tour event in North Las Vegas, BetMGM’s odds ran on the Golf Network telecast.

“It’s evolved, for sure,” said Lance Evans, BetMGM’s senior vice president of sports/sponsorships, to Casino.org. “If someone has five bucks on a game, they’re going to watch a little bit longer than they would have otherwise. I think it’s good for the business of sports as a whole.”

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