2017 NFL Betting: Looking Back, Looking Forward
The Jacksonville Jaguars open week 4 as favorites after crushing the Ravens, 44-7.
With the Cardinals and Cowboys in the books, the most exciting week in recent NFL history has come to a close. Bettors fared well on the over, while Vegas books had a field day with the underdogs. There were six nail biters, including two overtime showdowns. Contrarian bettors made out like bandits on Sunday as five teams with less than 30% of bets went undefeated. NFL underdogs went 11-3 against the spread after Washington covered theirs against the heavily favored Raiders. Here are just a few ways the cookie crumbled for bettors in week 3:
- Underdogs with spreads above 3.5 went 8-0 against the spread.
- The over had its first successful week of the year, going 11-5 this weekend. On totals of 42 or less, the over went 7-0.
- On the moneyline, underdogs went just 6-10, but still ended up +1.5 units. The Bears provided the biggest moneyline win of the weekend at +265. They were also the least popular moneyline bet, getting just 28% of bets.
- Had the Patriots not pulled out a late game winning drive, Houston would’ve paid out +760. Cincinnati, listed as +295, was up 21-7 at halftime in Green Bay, but the Packers ultimately won in overtime 27-24. And don’t forget the Giants (+205) who lost to Philadelphia after Eagles’ rookie kicker Jake Elliott knocked in a 61-yard field goal in the final seconds.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of Week 3 came in the form of a devastating Jaguars 44-7 rout over the Baltimore Ravens. For the first time in six years, the Jaguars will open the week as road favorites. However, the odds don’t exactly favor a victory of the Jets in week 4. Consider this: the Jaguars are 3-0 in London games; but in America, Blake Bortles and company are 7-25 since 2015.
