Betting Recap – Week 14

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

7 minute read

The largest underdogs to win straight up
Raiders (+10, ML +425) vs. Steelers, 24-21
Dolphins (+9, ML +350) vs. Patriots, 34-33
Jets (+4.5, ML +180) at Bills, 27-23
Colts (+4, ML +170) at Texans, 24-21

The largest favorite to cover
Saints (-9.5) at Buccaneers, 28-14
Titans (-5.5) vs. Jaguars, 30-9
Packers (-4) vs. Falcons, 34-20
Cowboys (-3.5) vs. Eagles, 29-23 (OT)

Bay Area Winners

-- The Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers each won on the same day for the first time since Dec. 3, 2017, making Bay Area football fans happy for the first time in a while. The Raiders surprised the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-21 as double-digit home 'dogs, while the 49ers fired out to a big lead against the Denver Broncos and they held on for a 20-14 victory as short 'dogs at home. The 49ers entered the day 1-5 ATS in their first six games, and 3-9 ATS overall on the season. One of those wins and covers for the Niners were against the Raiders back on Nov. 1.

Carolina Reaper

-- The Carolina Panthers are skidding hard after opening the season 6-2 SU/5-3 ATS. The Panthers took a 26-20 loss against 'The Bake Show' and the Cleveland Browns, losing and failing to cover for the fifth consecutive outing. The defense has allowed 20 or more points in seven straight outings, and 11 of the past 12. On the flip side, the Browns are suddenly resembling an NFL caliber team for the first time in years, winning three of their past four outings while also going 3-1 ATS during the span. They're also 8-5 ATS overall in their 13 outings while going 5-7-1 SU.

Total Recall

-- The game with the highest total on the board (55) never even came close to going 'over'. The New Orleans Saints-Tampa Bay Buccaneers ended up well 'under' in a 28-14 win for the Saints. New Orleans held up their end of the bargain, but head coach Dirk Koetter said after the game he was disappointed in his offense. The second-highest total on the board was the Pittsburgh-Oakland (51) game, and that game ended up going under, too. In fact, there were just 24 points on the board through three quarters and only a 21-point outburst in the fourth made that a closer total that maybe it should have been.

-- The lowest totals on the board were a pair of 37-point lines in the New York Jets-Buffalo Bills contest, and that ended up with a total of 50 points. The Jacksonville Jaguars-Tennessee Titans on Thursday night saw a total of 39 points, as the Titans routed the Jags 30-9. It looked like the total was close, but it was actually over by the end of the third quarter before a scoreless fourth.

-- The 'under' finished 2-1 this week after a low-scoring Monday nighter between the Minnesota Vikings-Seattle Seahawks (45.5). Overall for the 2018 season the 'over' in primetime games is 22-21 (51.2%).

Officially, the 'over' finished 25-23-1 (52.1%) in 49 games under the lights in 2017.

In 2016, the 'over' in night games went (52.9%) through 51 games.

In 2015, the over finished 20-28-1 (41.7%) in 49 primetime games. 

In 2014, the over went 33-17 (66.0%) in primetime games, and the over was 28-22 (56.0%) in 2013.

Injury Report

-- Bills RB LeSean McCoy (hamstring) pulled a hamstring in Sunday's battle against the Jets in the first quarter and he wasn't able to return. We've seen this movie before.

-- Broncos WR Courtland Sutton (thigh) suffered a thigh injury in the team's road loss in San Francisco and he was unable to return.

-- Jets RB Isaiah Crowell (foot) left Sunday's game in Buffalo and he was unable to return to action.

-- Redskins TE Jordan Reed (foot) suffered a foot injury against the Giants and he was helped to the locker room and unable to return.

Looking Ahead

-- The Chargers and Chiefs will square off on Thursday in a key AFC West Division battle. The Chiefs punched their ticket to the postseason with a win on Sunday, and they can take charge (see what I did there?) of the AFC West with a win over the visitors from Los Angeles, currently one-game back of K.C. The Chargers are 4-0 ATS in the past four road games, while the Chiefs are 12-3 ATS in their past 15 inside the division. The road team is 6-1 ATS in the past seven meetings, while the Chargers are 0-4 ATS in the past four in this series.

-- The Packers travel down to Chicago to take on the red-hot Bears, who looked good in their win over the Rams on Sunday night. The Pack are just 1-6-1 ATS in the past eight road games and 1-5 ATS in the past six inside the division. The Bears are 5-0 ATS in the past five divisional games, and 6-1 ATS in the past seven overall. The Packers have dominated this series lately, at least against the number, going 16-5 ATS in the past 21 at Soldier Field and 12-4 ATS in the past 16 meetings overall. The 'over' is 5-0 in the past five in Chicago, and each of the past four overall in this series.

-- The Seahawks and 49ers do battle in the Bay Area, and San Francisco looks to play spoiler. Seattle is 4-0 ATS in the past four road games, and 3-0-1 ATS in the past four overall. San Fran has failed to cover four in a row inside the division, five in a row against NFC foes and they're just 7-19-1 ATS in the past 27 aginst teams with a winning record while going 6-15 ATS in the past 21 at home. Seattle is 11-2-1 ATS in the past 14 meetings overall, while going 5-1 ATS in the past six trips to San Francisco. The under is also 5-1 in the past six meetings in the Bay Area.

-- The skidding Panthers host the Saints on Monday night in Week 15. New Orleans is 16-6 ATS in the past 22 inside the division, while going 20-6 ATS in the past 26 on the road. They're also 4-0 ATS in the past four against teams with a losing overall mark. Carolina is 8-3 ATS in the past 11 at home, and 5-2 ATS in the past seven against winning teams. However, they're just 2-5 ATS in the past seven inside the division. New Orleans has covered four in a row in Charlotte, while going 6-1 ATS in the past seven in this series. The under is also 11-4 in the past 15 in Carolina.

Where to place a bet this NFL Season?

• Use our exclusive BetMGM Bonus Code VIBONUS1500 to unlock BetMGM’s welcome offer for new sportsbook users!
• Compare the latest NFL Odds from the best sportsbooks before placing a bet on this week's games.
• Check out the North Carolina Sportsbooks just before they launch legal online sports betting.

VegasInsider Staff

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