Betting Recap – Week 1

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

10 minute read

The largest underdogs to win straight up
Titans (+5.5, ML +205) at Browns, 43-13
Bills (+3, ML +145) at Jets, 17-16
Packers (+3, ML +150) at Bears, 10-3

The largest favorite to cover
Cowboys (-7) vs. Giants, 35-17
Ravens (-7) at Dolphins, 59-10
Patriots (-6) vs. Steelers, 33-3
Vikings (-4) vs. Falcons, 28-12

Don't Believe the Hype

-- The Tennessee Titans (+5.5, ML +205) routed the Cleveland Browns, who entered the 2019 season with tremendous hype and expectations. About two hours into the season, that same ol' feeling was setting in on the shores of Lake Erie in what has been referred to as the 'Factory of Sadness'. It was a sad day for bettors, too, as the Browns had plenty of side bettors driving the line from 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 at one point. As Titans TE Delanie Walker said, borrowing a line from former NFL coach Dennis Green, "They are who we thought they were." The Browns will play on Monday Night Football on the road in Week 2 against the New York Jets, and one of those teams will leave the field next week with an 0-2 SU hole to start the season.

Nicked Up

-- The Jacksonville Jaguars landed big-ticket free agent QB Nick Foles during the offseason, but he was forced out early against the Kansas City Chiefs due to a broken collarbone, and he will be out indefinitely. So now the starting quarterback, perhaps just temporarily, will fall to rookie Gardner Minshew, who was a graduate transfer sensation for Mike Leach at Washington State last season. You can be sure some will be beating that Colin Kaepernick drum, too. They need something, as a season of promise has already changed in the course of three hours, after getting paddled by the Chiefs.

South Florida Fade

-- Back in the day, Dan Marino was lighting it up for the Miami Dolphins, while the Miami Hurricanes were running college football. These days, the Hurricanes are 0-2 SU/1-1 ATS and likely already eliminated from the College Football Playoff chase, while the Dolphins kicked off their season with a 59-10 ass beating from the Baltimore Ravens. Instead of calling their venue 'Hard Rock Stadium', it should be called 'Hard Pass'. If you're a sports fan in South Florida looking to stretch your dollar, you should likely be able to cheap seats very soon. Heck, you can even toss in the Florida Atlantic Owls and Florida International Golden Panthers, two more South Florida teams who are 0-2 SU.

The good news for bettors, at least as far as the Dolphins are concerned, is that they welcome the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots to Hard Pass...err, Hard Rock Stadium in Week 2. After the Pats spanked the Pittsburgh Steelers by a 33-3 count on Sunday Night Football, will we be looking at a potential 20-point favorite on the road by the time the game closes next week? The Patriots opened as 'just' a 14 1/2-point favorite after the Week 1 games on Sunday wrapped up.

Total Recall

-- The game with the highest total on the board Sunday was the San Francisco 49ers-Tampa Bay Buccaneers (51) battle at Raymond James Stadium. With just 13 points on the board at halftime, 'under' bettors were feeling might confident. This game also featured four touchdowns called back due to penalty, which is certainly helpful. 

Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston did his best to assist 'over' bettors, tossing not one, but two pick-sixes in this one. That was quite the change for the Niners, who recorded a total of two interceptions during the entire 2018 season. They picked off Winston three times total, including late in the game to make it 31-17, immediately giving the Bucs the ball back with just over two minutes to go. If you were holding an 'under' ticket, you got an eerie feeling that the Bucs were gonna score in garbage time and ruin a good things, as under bettors were on the right side all day. Luckily, the 49ers defense stepped up and kept disaster from happening.

-- On the flip side, the lowest total on the board was the Ravens-Dolphins (40.5) game. The Ravens scored 42 points themselves in the first half to send 'over' bettors into the black. The second-lowest total on the board was the Buffalo Bills-New York Jets (41.5) battle. The teams combined for a total of six points in the first half, too deep of a hole for 'over' bettors to overcome. There was a flurry of scoring in the seconf half -- 27 total points to be exact -- but the damage was already done early, including a scoreless second.

-- The 'over/under' is 3-1 split in the Monday Night Football doubleheader involving the Houston Texans-New Orleans Saints (53.5) and Denver Broncos-Oakland Raiders (43). The 'over' is 1-3 (25.0%), during the early 2019 primetime schedule.

Officially, the 'over' finished 26-25 (51.0%) in 51 games under the lights.

In 2017, the 'over' finished 25-23-1 (52.1%) in 49 primetime games.

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

-- Chargers WR Mike Williams (knee) checked out of the Week 1 game against the Colts due to a knee ailment.

-- Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill (shoulder) was hospitalized after suffering a collarbone injury in Jacksonville. It has been determined that he will not require surgery, but Hill will miss a "few weeks," according to NFL.com.

-- Colts WR Devin Funchess (collarbone) will have a second opinion, but initial tests suggest a broken collarbone for the new Colts receiver.

-- 49ers RB Tevin Coleman (ankle) suffered an ankle injury in Tampa Bay, leaving head coach Kyle Shanahan "concerned".

-- Jaguars QB Nick Foles (collarbone/clavicle) suffered a fractured clavicle and will undergo surgery on Monday. It's uncertain if he is done for the entire season, but he'll miss significant time.

-- Steelers WR Juju Smith-Schuster (toe) suffered a toe injury late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's blowout loss in New England, and he is expected to undergo X-rays.

Looking Ahead

-- The Panthers will host the Buccaneers on Thursday night at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, a game featuring a pair of 0-1 SU/ATS teams. In this series the underdog is 5-1 ATS in the past six meetings, with the road team 7-3 ATS in the past 10 in the series. The 'under' is also 5-1 in the past six battles, and 13-6 in the previous 19 encounters in the Queen City. Interestingly, something's gotta give with these two teams, as Tampa Bay is 0-5 ATS in their past five appearances on Thursday Night Football, while Carolina is 0-4 ATS in their past four on TNF.

-- The Cowboys and Redskins will meet in the nation's capital, and both clubs are playing their second divisional game in as many weeks. Dallas is a perfect 5-0 ATS in the previous five inside the NFC East. While Washington blew a 17-point lead in Philadelphia in Week 1, they were able to cover to improve to 1-4 ATS in the past five divisional games. The road team is 7-3 ATS in the past 10 meetings, with the Cowboys 4-1 ATS in the past five trips to D.C. The underdog is 31-11 ATS in the past 42 in this series, too. If you're a total bettor, remember that the 'over' has cashed in six of the past seven meetings.

-- The Vikings and Packers lock horns in an NFC North early-season showdown. Someone is going to leave the field with a 2-0 SU record, too. The home team has cashed in five of the past six meetings in this series, with the Vikings just 3-7 ATS in their past 10 forays into Lambeau Field. The 'under' has also connected in seven of the past nine meetings. For Minnesota, the under is 22-7 in the past 29 inside the NFC North, while the under is a perfect 4-0 in the past four divisional games for Green Bay, including their 10-3 win in Week 1 at Chicago.

-- The Jaguars travel to Houston to meet the Texans. Jacksonville is just 1-5-1 ATS in the past seven on the road, and 1-5-1 ATS in the past seven inside the AFC South, too. Will the rookie Minshew turn their fortunes around? The Jaguars are 5-2-1 ATS in the past eight meetings, the road team is 11-4-1 ATS in the past 16 meetings and the underdog is 9-4 ATS in the previous 13 battles. The trends point to Jacksonville, but logic seems to point at Houston.

-- The Patriots travel to the heat and humidity of South Florida to take on the Dolphins. That might be the most difficult obstacle for New England. The Patriots are 19-8 ATS in their past 27 road games, and they're 6-2 ATS in the past eight inside the division. The Dolphins have posted a 6-1 ATS mark in the past seven at home against the Patriots, but that was with much more talented rosters. The home team is also 14-3 ATS in the past 17 in this series.

-- The Chiefs land in Oaktown to battle the Raiders. Kansas City is 13-4 ATS in the past 17 against AFC West foes, and they're 7-2-1 ATS in the past 10 on the road, including their Week 1 whitewashing of the Jags. The Raiders are just 5-11 ATS in their past 16 home battles against the Chiefs, and the 'over' is 5-1 in the past six in the Black Hole. 

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.

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