Betting Recap – Week 10

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

10 minute read

The largest underdogs to win straight up
Falcons (+13.5, ML +600) at Saints, 26-9
Dolphins (+11, ML +450) at Colts, 16-12
Seahawks (+6.5, ML +210) at 49ers, 27-24 (OT)
Titans (+5.5, ML +220) vs. Chiefs, 35-32
Steelers (+4.5, ML +180) vs. Rams, 17-12
Jets (+3, ML +130) vs. Giants, 34-27
Vikings (+3, ML +160) at Cowboys, 28-24

The largest favorite to cover
Bills (-10.5) vs. Redskins, 24-9
Cowboys (-6.5) at Giants, 37-18
Eagles (-5) vs. Bears, 22-14
Seahawks (-4) vs. Buccaneers, 40-34 (OT)
Panthers (-3.5) vs. Titans, 30-20

Double-Digit 'Dogs BITE!

-- The Atlanta Falcons (+13.5, ML +600) stunned the New Orleans Saints in NOLA on Sunday during the 1:00 p.m. ET window, while the Miami Dolphins (+11, ML +450)...(hey, weren't they supposed to be tanking?)...shocked the Lucas Oil Stadium faithful with a 16-12 win against the Indianapolis Colts. It actually hasn't been that long since two double-digit underdogs won outright on the same day in the NFL, as the Dolphins and Giants accomplished the feat Oct. 15, 2017.

The Dolphiins had a little luck, as QB Jacoby Brissett was inactive due to a knee injury, but it's not like QB Brian Hoyer was some rookie nobody who hasn't played before. He tossed three touchdowns last week against a good Steelers defense. The 'Fins just came to play, and have won two in a row, as all of a sudden they look like an NFL-caliber team under head coach Brian Flores, who is putting his stamp on the team. After going 0-4 ATS in the first four games, the Dolphins now have a winning record against the spread, covering each of the past five outings.

The loss by the Saints might have been even more surprising, as QB Drew Brees looked good in his return last time out before the bye. Both of these teams had two weeks to prepare for each other, and head coach Dan Quinn likely bought himself more time as the head coach with the eye-popping win. The Falcons defense had shown no signs of an effective pass rush, or an ability to stop the pass, but they held the Saints to single digits in the points department. And that's why they play the games.

Total Recall

-- The two highest totals on the board were the Arizona Cardinals-Tampa Bay Buccaneers (51.5) and Atlanta Falcons-New Orleans Saints (51.5). It was a mixed bag. The Cards-Bucs game was on a good pace from the start, and helped in large part due to a 20-point second quarter, with 10 points for each team. It wasn't a slam-dunk 'over', but a go-ahead touchdown by the Bucs with 1:43 clinched the winning ticket.

As far as the Falcons-Saints game was concerned, it got off to a slow start and never really threatened to go over. The teams exchanged field goals in the first quarter. Atlanta had two touchdowns in this game, but inexplicably, the Saints had none. Hey, sometimes it's better to lose one like this than by a half-point or on a bad beat.

There were three games -- the Los Angeles Chargers-Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs-Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers-Green Bay Packers -- which closed at 49. The Chargers-Raiders game ended up going over by a single point, and it was a bit of a bad beat. There were 37 points on the board until the Chargers scored the go-ahead touchdown with 4:02 to go, taking a 24-20 lead. The Raiders charged back and posted the game-winning touchdown with 1:02 to go.

 For the Chiefs-Titans game, it was looking like a close shave at halftime, with a total of 26 on the board, tied 13-13. The teams combined for 16 points in the third quarter, and 25 points in an explosive fourth, as the this game finished as the highest-scoring game on the board. The other game, the Panthers-Packers game, was a close call. The snow picked up in the second half, but it didn't seem to affect the sides too much. Head coach Ron Rivera did go with the 'analytics', going for two down 24-16, eschewing the extra point. While there is debate, especially in the Twitterverse, on whether it was the right call, it definitely wasn't helpful to the over. They needed a touchdown and two-point conversion after it failed. However, had the gamble worked, they would have needed a touchdown and then just the point after for a push. Of course, none of that came into fruition.

The 'over' hit in each of the three primetime games of Week 10, coming on the heels of a three-game primetime 'over' sweep in Week 9. The Monday Night Football contest between the Seattle Seahawks-San Francisco 49ers (47.5) is still pending. The 'over' is just 12-19 (38.7%) during the 2019 primetime schedule, a stark change from previous seasons when the games under the lights were high-scoring affairs. The 'under' was a perfect 8-0 for Sunday Night Football this season, but the New England Patriots-Baltimore Ravens (44.5) game went over in the SNF game for the second consecutive weekend.

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

-- Falcons RB Devonta Freeman (foot) left with a foot injury and was unable to return. The good news is that there were very few other major injuries across the board.

Looking Ahead - Divisional Battles

-- The Steelers and Browns meet each other Thursday night on the shores of Lake Erie. It still isn't quite the rivalry it was in the past. It's now or never for the Browns. They won in Week 10 against the Bills, and they could get right back into the AFC wild card picture with a win, while dealing their rivals from the Steel City a tough blow with a win. The Steelers are 4-0-1 ATS in the past five appearances on Thursday, and they're 4-0-1 ATS in the past five against divisional foes. The Browns are 5-21-2 ATS in the past 28 against winning teams, and 9-23-1 ATS in the past 33 at home. However, they are 6-2 ATS in the past eight inside the division and 6-2 ATS in the past eight appearances on a Thursday.

-- The Falcons host the Panthers on Sunday afternoon in Charlotte, and not many figured Atlanta would be coming off a win in Week 10 in New Orleans, while Carolina would be coming in off a loss. Despite their outright win as a double-digit 'dog the Falcons are still 5-16 ATS in the past 21 road games. The Panthers are still 5-2 ATS in the past seven overall, and they're 5-2 ATS in the past seven at home against Atlatna. The home team has covered in 10 of the past 13 in this series, too. The under is an impressive 9-2-1 in the past 12 meetings overall, while the under is 17-5-2 in the past 24 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

-- The Bills look to rebound after their first loss on the road in Cleveland. The Dolphins picked up their first road win in Indianapolis. These teams met in Buffalo back in Week 7, with the Bills favored by 17. Miami covered in a 31-21 loss, and they're less than a touchdown 'dog at Hard Rock against the Bills. Can Miami make it three wins in a row as an outright underdog?

-- The Jaguars and Colts lock horns at Lucas Oil Stadium, and Indianapolis looks to bounce back after a stunning loss at home. The Jags, meanwhile, are coming off a bye. It's a super important game for the Colts, who just a couple of weeks ago won in Kansas City and were looking like a surprise team in the AFC. How quickly things change. The Jaguars are 1-4-1 ATS in the past six against winning teams, but 3-0-1 ATS in the past four coming off a bye. The Colts have covered five straight inside the division.  Jacksonville has dominated this series lately, however, going 7-0-1 ATS in the past eight meetings, and 3-0-1 ATS in the past four trips to Indy. The under is also 4-1 in the past five battles, and 7-1 in the previous eight in Indy.

-- The Saints have cashed in 23 of their past 31 games on the road, and they'll be looking to rebound after a stunning loss at home. The Buccaneers are 0-4 ATS in the past four at home, and they have failed to cover in four straight. Total bettors love the Bucs, as they 'over' is 7-0 across the past seven for Tampa.

-- The Cardinals hit the road looking to avenge a narrow Thursday night loss at home to the 49ers a couple of weeks ago. Arizona is 5-1 ATS in the past six games overall, including 1-0 ATS against the Niners, and 5-1 ATS in the past six on the road. The 49ers are 0-4 ATS in the past four against the Cards, and 1-4 ATS in the past five at home against Arizona. The road team is 5-2 ATS in the past seven meetings with the underdog 5-1 ATS in the past six in the series.

-- The Chiefs and Chargers will battle at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on Monday night. The Chiefs are 3-0-1 ATS in the past four Monday appearances, and 20-8 ATS in the past 28 against divisional foes. The Bolts are 5-2 ATS in the past seven against winning teams. Kansas City has covered four of the past five in this series, too. The Raiders have appeared twice in this game previously, but neither of these teams have been the opponent. This is both the Chiefs and Chargers first appearance in Mexico. Kansas City was supposed to face the Rams last season, but they game was moved due to poor field conditions. As far as the totals, not much can be gleaned from the past two results, as the total is 1-1. Estadio Azteca is located at an elevation of 2195 meters, or 7,200 feet. That's nearly 2,000 feet higher than Denver, which both teams are more than familiar.

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

More from VegasInsider Staff