NFL notable bets
Public cashes in on Rams
• How much money was on the Los Angeles Rams? Bookmaker William Hill took a $506,000 bet on Cleveland +3.5 … and still needed the Browns to cover in the game.
The Rams won 20-13 and covered, surviving four cracks at a go-ahead touchdown from Baker Mayfield and the Browns in the final seconds and finishing a big day for the betting public.
Save your tears for the bookies, though. Nevada sportsbooks have not suffered a losing month statewide in six years. The books will be open for business for the Monday night game between the Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins.
• An hour before kickoff at MGM books, nine times as much money had been bet on the Rams as had been bet on the Browns. “It’s probably the biggest decision of the season so far,” MGM race and sports director Jeff Stoneback said Sunday, roughly an hour before kickoff.
• The $506,000 bet on the Browns was placed at the William Hill sportsbook at Ocean Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The bet was split into two tickets, according to William Hill spokesperson Michael Grodsky. The bet was first reported by Vegas Stats and Information Network and the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
• Right before kickoff, 81.2% of the point-spread bets and 76.3% of the point-spread money was on the Rams at Caesars Sportsbook.
• More bets were placed on the Rams at Station Casino sportsbooks than any other team on the day.
Parlays a pain
• “Teasers were a killer,” Stoneback said. “Teasers have been half of our loss for the whole day.”
• A bettor placed a $208,000 money-line bet online with DraftKings on the Vikings to beat the Raiders straight-up at -370. The bettor won a net of just over $56,200 with Minnesota’s 34-14 win.
• A bettor at sportsbook PointsBet on Friday placed a $390,000 two-team money-line parlay on the Packers and 49ers at -130 odds. The bettor won just under $300,000.
• “There was a significant amount of money on the Giants spread and moneyline, so while the Daniel Jones comeback victory was a great story, it hurt us,” a spokesman for PointsBet said in an email to ESPN.
The Giants rallied behind Jones and beat the Buccaneers 32-31.
• “We got hit on some parlay cards that’s making it a lot worse, but yeah, it hasn’t been a good day,” said Ed Salmons, vice president of risk at the SuperBook at Westgate Las Vegas.
• Not every book took it on the chin Sunday. Caesars Sportsbook won big on the Jets, Steelers and Saints and was up enough heading into the Sunday night game to endure a loss with the Rams covering.
• After opening as high as 6.5-point underdogs, sharp money came in on the Ravens against the Chiefs, driving the number all the way down to a closing price as low as Kansas City -4. The Chiefs beat the Ravens by five (33-28), causing some sportsbooks losses on both sides. “It’s hard to bet that game and not win on either side,” Salmons said.
Huge spreads don’t scare off bettors
• The Dolphins and Jets each closed as 20-point-plus underdogs to the Cowboys and Patriots, respectively. It was the first time two NFL games had 20-point-plus spreads in the same week since Week 5 of the 1987 season — a strike year.
Public bettors weren’t scared off by the big numbers. At Caesars Sportsbook, 74.6% of the point-spread bets were on the Patriots, and 62.2% of the point-spread bets were on the Cowboys in their respective games.
Dallas won and covered in a 31-6 victory. The Jets returned an interception for a touchdown with six minutes to play, helping them cover the spread in a 30-16 loss.
• “They were betting on [the Patriots and Cowboys] like it was freest money in the world,” Salmons of the SuperBook said.
• A bettor at Caesars Sportsbook on Tuesday placed a $1,000 two-team, money-line parlay on the Patriots and Cowboys and won a net $45.
Early Week 4 lines
Thursday
Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers (-4.5, 47)
Sunday
Carolina Panthers at Houston Texans (-4, 46)
Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens -5.5 45.5
Kansas City Chiefs (-6.5, 54) at Detroit Lions
Los Angeles Chargers (-16, 45) at Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots (-7, 43.5) at Buffalo Bills
Oakland Raiders at Indianapolis Colts (-7, 44.5)
Tennessee Titans at Atlanta Falcons (-5, 46)
Washington Redskins at New York Giants (Off)
Seattle Seahawks (-3.5, 47) at Arizona Cardinals
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Los Angeles Rams (Off)
Jacksonville Jaguars at Denver Broncos (-2.5, 38)
Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears (-2, 38)
Dallas Cowboys (-3, 46) at New Orleans Saints
Monday
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers (-5, 43.5)
Byes: New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers
