Betting Recap – Week 15

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

8 minute read

The largest underdogs to win straight up
Falcons (+10, ML +425) at 49ers, 29-22
Jaguars (+7, ML +250) at Raiders, 20-16
Cardinals (+3, ML +140) at Browns, 38-24
Texans (+3, ML +140) at Titans, 24-21

The largest favorite to cover
Ravens (-17) vs. Jets, 42-21
Patriots (-10.5) at Bengals, 34-13
Chiefs (-9.5) vs. Broncos, 23-3
Saints (-8.5) vs. Colts, 34-7
Eagles (-6.5) at Redskins, 37-27
Buccaneeers (-6) at Lions, 38-17

Bad Beat - Part 1

-- The Philadelphia Eagles (-6.5) took on the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field, and the game started off harmlessly enough. The Redskins were leading 14-10 at halftime on their home field, looking to spoil the NFC East Division title and playoff dreams of their rivals. The Eagles struck for a touchdown in the third to re-take the lead 17-14. That's when the craziness started.

RB Adrian Peterson scored just seven seconds into the fourth to make it 21-17, and the teams traded touchdowns with TE Zach Ertz going to six to re-take the lead. The Redskins booted a pair of field goals to take a 27-24 lead, and that's how it looked like it might end. At the very least, the Redskins were going to hang on for the home cover. WR Greg Ward Jr. scored with :26 left to make it 31-27, and the Eagles were on their way to a win. However, the scoring wasn't over, as any Redskins side bettor already knows all too well. QB Dwayne Haskins fumbled, and with zeroes left on the clock it was LB Nigel Bradham returning the fumble for 47 yards to make it 37-27.

Bad Beat - Part 2

-- If you had the 'under' (50) in Atlanta Falcons-San Francisco 49ers, my condolences. At 5:15 to go in regulation there were just 36 total points on the board when the Falcons scored a rushing touchdown to cut the lead to 19-17. The 49ers booted a field goal at 1:48 to make it 22-17 in favor of the Niners.

With :02 left, the Falcons scored a touchdown, as QB Matt Ryan hit WR Julio Jones on a 5-yard connection to make it 23-22. Under bettors loved that they didn't even risk a two-point conversion or extra point, should the 49ers block a kick or return a fumble or interception for two points. So game over, right? Well, the 49ers tried a crazy series of lateral that went backwards, and you knew how this one was going. The 49ers chunked it, the Falcons scooped it up at the goal line and cashed in the six to push it over with zeroes on the clock. Two absolutely atrocious beats on the day. If you had the Redskins and the under in this game toge 

 Total Recall

-- There were five games with a total of 48.5 or greater -- Los Angeles Rams-Dallas Cowboys (48.5), Seattle Seahawks-Carolina Panthers (49), Cleveland Browns-Arizona Cardinals (49), Falcons-49ers (49.5 - see above) and the Houston Texans-Tennessee Titans (50.5). All but the Texans-Titans game ended up going over, and the AFC South battle probably would have gone over, too, if not for a scoreless first quarter. It was close.

The 'over' connected in the final Thursday game of the 2019 season between the New York Jets-Baltimore Ravens (44), with the over/under going 7-7 in the TNF game for the season. The Sunday nighter between the Buffalo Bills-Pittsburgh Steelers (37) was the lowest total on the board, and still wasn't even close to going over. The Monday nighter between the Indianapolis Colts-New Orleans Saints (48.5) also ended up going under. The 'over' is just 17-29 (37.0%) during the 2019 primetime schedule, a stark change from previous seasons when the games under the lights were high-scoring affairs.

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.

Looking Ahead - Division Matchups

-- The Bills and Patriots battle at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. Buffalo is 7-0-1 ATS in the past eight games on the road, and 5-0-1 ATS in the past six as a road underdog. The Patriots are 42-19-3 ATS in their past 63 at Gillette, and 4-0 ATS in the past four appearance on a Saturday. In this series the road team is 20-8-1 ATS in the past 29 meetings, with the Bills 3-1-1 ATS in the past five trips to Foxboro.

-- The Rams and 49ers tangle, and San Francisco looks to recover after their shocking loss to Atlanta dropped them from a first-round bye in the playoffs into a wild-card position and a potential road game to kick off the playoffs. Los Angeles is 5-1 ATS in the past six games inside the division, and they're 7-2 ATS in the past nine on the road. They were trampled in Dallas in Week 15, however. San Francisco is 5-1 ATS in the past six against winning teams, but just 7-18-1 ATS in the past 26 as a favorite and 2-7-1 ATS in the past 10 inside the division. The 49ers are 6-2 ATS in the past eight meetings with the Rams, however, and the under is 5-1 in the past six meetings in the Bay Area.

-- The Giants and Redskins tangle in D.C. in a game with nothing on the line outside of pride. The bets cash the same, however. New York is 11-3 ATS in the past 14 on the road, while going 10-2 ATS in the past 12 as a road underdog. The Redskins are 2-7 ATS in the past nine at home, although they should have covered in Week 15 (see above). Ugh. The G-Men are 9-4 ATS in the past 13 meetings, while the favorite is 4-1 ATS in the past five in this series. The under is also 5-1 in the past six in this series, and 5-2 in the past seven at FedEx Field.

-- The Ravens can clinch the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC with a win over the Browns, who stunningly beat them back on Sept. 29 in Baltimore by a 40-25 score as the 'over' hit. The Ravens are 7-1 ATS in the past eight games overall, and they're 4-0 ATS in the past four on the road. The Browns are still barely alive for a playoff spot, but need to win out with help. The Browns are 3-0-1 ATS in the past four at home, but just 2-8-1 ATS in the past 11 at FirstEnergy Stadium vs. Ravens.

-- The Raiders and Chargers meet in Carson. Soon this will be Las Vegas vs. Los Angeles, which is still weird. The Raiders are 1-4 ATS in the past five meetings in this series, with the road team 7-3 ATS in the past 10 meeting. The under is 5-1 in the past six in this series.

-- The Cowboys are 16-5 ATS in the past 21 inside the NFC East, while the Eagles are 4-10 ATS in the past 14 at home while going 1-6 ATS in the past seven at home vs. Cowboys. The Eagles are also 0-4 ATS in the past four meetings overall. With the road team also 11-5 ATS in the past 16 meetings, all trends point to Dallas.

-- The Cardinals are 5-1-1 ATS in the past seven on the road, but just 1-4-1 ATS in the past six against winning teams. The Seahawks are 4-1-1 ATS in the past six overall, but they're just 2-5 ATS in the past seven at home. Arizona is 4-0 ATS in the past four trips to Seattle, and 4-1-1 ATS in the past six meetings overall. The road team is 8-1-1 ATS in the past 10 meetings overall in the series.

-- The Packers and Vikings meet on Monday night. The Packers are 2-6 ATS in the past eight battles on MNF, while the Vikings are 2-11 ATS in the past 13 on Monday, so something's gotta give. In this series the Packers are 1-4 ATS in the past five trips to the Twin Cities, while the home team is 6-1 ATS in the past seven meetings. The under is 5-0 in the past five in Minnesota, while going 8-2 in the past 10 meetings overall, including a 21-16 win by the Packers in Week 2 at Lambeau. 

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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