After taking some NFL losses earlier this month, the Week of Christmas is clearly going sportsbooks' way. Heading into Monday Night Football, underdogs are 11-4 against the spread.
Key Takeaways
- Favorites were 6-4 on Sunday after going 0-5 in the Thursday and Saturday slates.
- The Vikings, Ravens, Browns, and Dolphins were big winners for Caesars.
- The Patriots, Bengals, and Giants were good for bettors.
Favorites failed to cover the pre-Sunday games, as the Commanders, Chiefs, Vikings, Texans, and Ravens went 5-0 against the number on Christmas Day and Saturday. Houston was the only team out of that mix to receive the majority of the money at BetMGM.
Caesars listed Baltimore and Minnesota as two of its biggest wins of the week.
On Sunday, the public rode a few wins on teams laying the points as favorites went 6-4 against the spread, but four of the most-bet teams by tickets at BetMGM failed to cover. Favorites are 9-6 straight up heading into the Week 17 finale.
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House rules
The Steelers were the most-bet team by tickets at BetMGM and second in handle, but they lost a key game 13-6 to the Cleveland Browns. The 49ers missed the cover by a half-point in a wild, high-scoring game with the Bears on Sunday night.
The Bills were heavily bet as small favorites. That result and the total in Philadelphia’s entertaining 13-12 victory were bad for bettors.
“The Eagles-Bills game gathered a decent amount of over money, so the low-scoring affair was good for the book,” Joey Feazel, Caesars' head of football, said.
With a chance to win the NFC South, the Panthers failed to cover as 7-point underdogs in Seattle’s 27-10 win, another victory for the house.
Caesars reported that the Dolphins, who upset the Buccaneers outright, provided another key victory. Tampa was getting over 70% of the handle at BetMGM.
Bettor wins
Bettors didn’t go completely without luck as the Bengals, Patriots, and Giants covered as favorites getting the majority of the money.
“Customers were the beneficiaries of Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense, who clearly have not quit on the year like some teams that are out of contention,” Feazel said. “In the afternoon, the customers were all over the Giants in the race for the 1st overall pick in the NFL Draft, and it was evident that the Raiders wanted that pick much more.”
The Giants (-2.5) were the most-bet team by handle at BetMGM, while the Jaguars beating the Colts was also good for the public.
MNF insights
The Los Angeles Rams enter Monday night as 7.5-point favorites at Atlanta. The Falcons are getting 57% of the handle despite the visiting team getting 69% of the wagers.
It’s all L.A. for DraftKings customers, as the Rams are getting 85% of the money and 79% of the tickets at -7. More than 90% of the moneyline handle is on the Rams, while Atlanta is getting 38% of the tickets.
The majority of bets and handle on the 49.5 total is on the over at BetMGM, while DraftKings has seen 63% of the money on the under and 68% of the tickets backing the over.
Kyren Williams has the most popular player prop with over 61.5 rushing yards, and the Rams running back is the most-bet player in the anytime touchdown and first touchdown scorer markets.
