Betting Recap – Week 3

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

17 minute read

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Overall Notes

The largest underdogs to win straight up

• Panthers (+6, ML +240) at Chargers, 21-16
• Lions (+5.5, ML +200) at Cardinals, 26-23
• Chiefs (+3.5, ML +160) at Ravens, 34-20
• Packers (+3, ML +145) at Saints, 37-30

The largest favorites to cover

• Colts (-11.5) vs. Jets, 36-7
• Browns (-7) vs. Washington, 34-20
• Patriots (-7) vs. Raiders, 36-20
• Buccaneers (-6) at Broncos, 28-10
• Seahawks (-5.5) vs. Cowboys, 38-31

The Biggest Disappointment of the Week

If you were holding an under ticket in the Cincinnati Bengals-Philadelphia Eagles battle, congrats. If you were holding an over ticket, my condolences.

The Bengals were leading 23-16 before QB Carson Wentz desperately scrambled for the right corner of the end zone, diving for the pylon with 21 seconds left in regulation to tie the game 23-23. Over bettors everywhere likely said bad words. I, personally, was holding a Bengals +5 ticket, so all of a sudden my smile disappeared, as a potential touchdown in overtime by Philadelphia would sink me after I'd been on the correct side most of the day. Thankfully that scenario didn't play out.

Anyway, neither team did much of anything in the overtime session, never really threatening to score. The Eagles did drive down the field late, and PK Jake Elliott was about to trot out for the 59-yard field goal to win it. However, a false start penalty caused the Eagles to back it up five yards and head coach Doug Pederson elected to punt the ball away and accept the tie.

Oddly enough, these teams who meet every four years have played to a tie in two of the previous four meetings. Remember when Donovan McNabb didn't know that overtime ended in a tie? That was a game on Nov. 16, 2008 in Cincinnati.

The Biggest Disappointment of the Week -- Part 2

The Atlanta Falcons (-2.5) were leading 26-10 heading to the fourth quarter over the Chicago Bears. It looked like Atlanta was going to avenge last week's disgusting collapse on the road against the Dallas Cowboys when they blew a 39-24 lead to fall 40-39. The Week 3 Falcons told the Week 2 Falcons, hold my beer. They allowed 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter on their home field, becoming the first team in NFL history to lose consecutive games when leading by 15 or more points in the final quarter. If you plan to bet the Falcons in the future, make sure to play the opponent on the second-half or live betting in the fourth quarter.

The Biggest Disappointment of the Week -- Part 3

The Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens combined for 37 points, mostly from the Chiefs, by halftime. It was 27-10 in favor of the visitors, and PK Harrison Butker had misfired on a field goal and an extra points, or it would have been 31-10 at the break. Those were important points, as things dried up in the second half, as we had just 17 points in the final 30 minutes for a total of 54. Those who bet the over early in the week escaped the bad beat, but those who bet in the past 24 hours...ouch. The Ravens were driving down the field with five to play, but a pair of sacks took them out of the red zone, setting up a fourth and 24. Yeah, you already know how that ended. The Chiefs had the ball back and they just ragged the close for nearly four and a half minutes. The Ravens actually got the ball back with 23 seconds at their own 28, but they conceded. Rough.

Total Recall

The lowest total on the board was in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Denver Broncos (42.5) game, one which saw future Hall of Fame QB Tom Brady squaring off against backup QB Jeff Driskel, with QB Drew Lock sidelined due to injury. The game looked like it was going to be a slam-dunk over, as the Bucs led 23-10 at halftime. Over bettors rejoiced. Then we saw a total of five points in the second half, including a scoreless fourth quarter. Ouch.

The second-lowest total (43.5) was in both the San Francisco 49ers-New York Giants game and the battle between the Carolina Panthers-Los Angeles Chargers. The 49ers led the Giants 29-9 late in the fourth quarter before RB Jeff Wilson Jr. punched one in from two yards out to push the total just over, 36-9.

The Panthers surprised the Chargers in a field-goal fest. The Panthers settled for a total of five field goals, including four on trips to the red zone. The game featured just three touchdowns, and only one team posted a double-digit point total (Panthers, 12) in a single quarter.

The highest total on the board Sunday didn't disappoint. The Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks (57) saw the line rise from 55.5 to 57 during the week. It could have gone way higher. The teams were tied 9-9 after the first quarter, and Seattle led 23-15 at halftime. The scoring continued in the second half, as the Seahawks won 38-31, hanging on to the end similar to their Week 2 SNF win. The teams combined for at least 14 points in every quarter in this one.

The three primetime games saw the total go 2-1 in favor of the under, with the Monday night game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens (55) just missing. The Miami Dolphins routed their Sunshine State neighbors, the Jacksonville Jaguars, 31-13. The over was on pace at halftime, with a total of 28 points on the board, but a low-scoring second half send under bettors to the window with a win. The anticipated shootout between the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints (52) lived up to the hype despite the fact both WRs Davante Adams and Michael Thomas were sidelined for their respective teams. 

So far this season the over is 5-5 (50.0%) across 10 primetime games. In 2019, the 'over' was just 17-31-1 (35.4%) during primetime games.

Looking Ahead to Week 4

Denver Broncos at New York Jets (Thursday, 8:20 p.m. ET)

The Broncos slipped to 0-3 when they lost to the Bucs in Week 3. Driskel, the replacement for the injured Lock, was benched in the fourth quarter in favor of QB Brett Rypien, who was just recalled from the practice squad Saturday. Ouch. Jets QB Sam Darnold, meanwhile, had a pair of pick-sixes in a loss to Indianapolis. The offensive play in this Thursday night battle might be so bad that the opening total of 40 might be a bit high.

Seattle Seahawks at Miami Dolphins (Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET)

The Seahawks have scored 35 or more points in each of their three victories, all over results. This will be the second of their five trips to the Eastern Time Zone this season. Seattle won 38-25 in Week 1 as a pick 'em on a total of 49.5. The Dolphins have gotten a couple of extra days to prepare for the Seahawks after topping the Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field last Thursday. That might not be the only advantage the Dolphins face, as they also have the advantage of the heat and humidity of South Florida, a 10 am PT kickoff time for the Seahawks and, of course, the high travel for Seattle.

New England Patriots at Kansas City Chiefs (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET)

The Patriots square off with the defending champions, who have had a brutal schedule to date. The Chiefs have already faced playoff teams Houston, Baltimore and now New England in three of the first four games, and they had a difficult overtime win on the road against the Chargers in Week 2. The Patriots have a highly-anticipated game for the second time in three weeks. They came up just short in a Week 2 Sunday Night Football battle in Seattle, losing 35-30 as QB Cam Newton was stuffed at the goal line at the gun to end the game. That's how close they are to being 3-0 SU.

Atlanta Falcons at Green Bay Packers (Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET)

The collapsing Falcons take a trip to Lambeau Field on Monday night, getting an extra day to watch the excruciating film from their loss to the Bears. There are a lot of people who feel head coach Dan Quinn could be out of a job soon after his team made NFL history with the two big blown fourth-quarter leads. The Packers are probably the absolute worst opponent for Atlanta to face in Week 4, as they lead the NFL with 40.7 points per game, hitting the over in all three of their outings. In fact, Green Bay games have seen the over hit by at least 12 points in each of the three outings.

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VegasInsider Staff

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