Sports betting roundup: Close games and upsets highlight Week 2 of the NFL season
Chicago Bears kicker Cairo Santos (8) makes a 54-yard field goal during the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Houston. Credit: AP/Eric Christian Smith
A crazy Week 2 in the NFL was highlighted by a number of close games coming down to the final seconds and a few big upsets along the way.
Going into Monday Night Football, favorites went 8-7 straight up but 5-9-1 against the spread. Road teams had a good week, going 10-4-1 against the spread. Through the first two weeks of the season, underdogs of six or more points are 8-0 against the spread.
The college football slate was pretty standard, with the top teams winning.
Trends of the Week
Trailing the Houston Texans 19-10 with 2:51 remaining on Sunday Night Football, Chicago Bears kicker Cairo Santos booted a 54-yard field goal to make it a 19-13 game.
That may seem like a meaningless kick, but for bettors at the BetMGM online sportsbook, it was a big win. It allowed the Bears to force a push, with that being the final score, as the line closed with the Texans favored by six points. In NFL betting against the spread, 77% of the bets and 80% of the money was on the Texans.
With the game knotted at 17 late in the fourth quarter, Aaron Rodgers led the New York Jets down the field to set up a touchdown by Braelon Allen, giving the team a 24-17 win over the Tennessee Titans. The score not only gave the Jets the win but by not settling for a field goal, allowed them to cover the four-point spread. The Jets were taking in 65% of the bets and 72% of the money in against-the-spread betting.
In college football, Alabama (-16.5) was the most bet team on Saturday, with 81% of the money on the Crimson Tide to cover the spread against Wisconsin. Alabama easily covered by routing Wisconsin 42-10.
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) sees pressure from Tennessee Titans defense in the first half of an NFL football game in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. Credit: AP/George Walker IV
Upsets of the Week
The three most bet teams in terms of money Sunday at BetMGM were the Baltimore Ravens (-8.5), Dallas Cowboys (-6) and San Francisco 49ers (-4.5). Not only did all three teams fail to cover the spread, all three teams lost straight up.
The five most bet players to score a touchdown on Sunday were CeeDee Lamb (-125), J.K. Dobbins (+125), Jonathan Taylor (+100), Amon-Ra St. Brown (+100) and Derrick Henry (-190). Although all five had solid games, only Dobbins and Henry were able to find the end zone.
On the PGA Tour, Patton Kizzire won the Procore Championship for his third career win and first since the 2018 season. At 20-under, he won by five shots. Kizzire entered the week +17500 to win and only took in 0.3% of the bets and 0.1% of the money in pre-tournament betting.
Coming Up
With a few weeks left in baseball's regular season, the Los Angeles Dodgers (+325) are the favorites to win the World Series in MLB betting.
Alabama's Jalen Milroe (4) runs past Wisconsin's Hunter Wohler (24) for a touchdown during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Madison, Wis. Credit: AP/Morry Gash
While the Dodgers have the shortest odds, the Philadelphia Phillies are the most popular team at +500. They are taking in the most bets (11%) and the most money (14.9%). The Dodgers are drawing the third-most bets (9.7%) and the second-most money (12.8%).
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This column was provided to The Associated Press by BetMGM online sportsbook.
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