Favorites put on a show again in the NFL on Sunday.
In 11 Week 8 games, just two underdogs covered and won outright. Favorites hit in the other nine games as no team that covered the spread lost in Week 8, including Thursday’s Los Angeles Chargers win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Key Takeaways
- Favorites go 9-2 against the spread and outright on Sunday.
- Overs dominate totals, going 8-1-2.
- The Bills hit big for bettors, but the Dolphins and Jets help books.
With so many big spreads getting covered and easy wins, Sunday didn’t provide many sweats. Ten games were decided by 10 points or more, and overs went 8-1-2.
Coming off a massive Week 7, bettors again found success on Sunday, especially in the early slate when same-game parlays were good for Caesars Sportsbook customers. A couple of upsets, though, and the ever-popular Dallas Cowboys getting smashed as a slight underdog at Denver kept the day from being another huge loss for the house.
“There was a notably lopsided handle across several of the (early) games, with the Bills, Patriots, Falcons, Eagles, and Bengals all attracting substantial action on both straight wagers and parlay tickets,” said Joey Feazel, Caesars Sportsbook’s head of football. “This was hardly surprising given their opponents, the Panthers, Browns, Dolphins, Giants, and Jets, each of whom struggled to inspire confidence in the market. With five of the six games going over the total, it ultimately proved to be a favorable (early slate) for customers, despite the upsets in Atlanta and Cincinnati.”
Blowout city
In a week with so many blowouts between good teams versus bad teams, the public typically does well.
Feazel said the Bills’ 40-9 blowout of the Panthers was the “most significant result” of the early games for Caesars bettors. Buffalo was the fourth most-bet team by handle and third in tickets at BetMGM, where 69% of the bets and 75% of the money was the favorite.
The Patriots’ 32-13 win over the Browns was a close second in terms of bettor success at Caesars. The Colts manhandled the putrid Titans 38-14 as a 14.5-point favorite, and Tampa Bay’s throttling of the offensively-challenged Saints 23-3 stood out as well.
“The Buccaneers and Colts taking care of business against the worst two teams in the league was also a good result for our bettors,” Feazel said.
The Bucs were the most-bet team by tickets at BetMGM. The Texans provided bettors at that online operator a big win as well in Houston’s 26-15 victory over the 49ers.
Books fight back
Everyone was seemingly backing the Falcons against a Miami team that had lost three consecutive games coming into Sunday. With Michael Penix Jr. out with an injury and Kirk Cousins in for Atlanta, the Dolphins stifled the Falcons and rolled to a 34-10 rout for just their second win of 2025.
The Jets have been one of the more popular fades all season, and they had not won a game entering Week 8. That looked like a trend that would continue early against Cincinnati, but Justin Fields rallied New York to a 39-38 victory as a 5.5-point underdog to spoil the public’s hot run in the early slate.
Feazel said the betting public was all over Dallas in the late afternoon window. The Cowboys were the fifth most-bet team by handle at BetMGM and were getting 61% of the money. The Broncos won 44-24 as a 3.5-point favorite in a game that was never in doubt and scored a big win for the sportsbooks.
BetMGM was also pleased to see the Ravens knock off the Bears in what felt like an upset. Baltimore was a 2.5-point favorite, but without Lamar Jackson suiting up at quarterback, bettors flocked to Chicago, which got rolled 30-16.
Tight ends have a day
While Sunday’s “National Tight End Day” didn’t provide quite as big a betting phenomenon as in 2024, it was still a good performance for the position.
Ten tight ends combined to catch 12 touchdowns on the day, falling two shy of last year’s record of 14. Green Bay’s Tucker Kraft had a huge Sunday night with 143 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
TUCKER CRAFT CAN’T BE STOPPED
— Caesars Sportsbook (@CaesarsSports) October 27, 2025
pic.twitter.com/k4KHgZbskL
Philadelphia’s Dallas Goedert also found the end zone twice, while 49ers tight end George Kittle scored in a week where he was one of the most-bet anytime TD scores. Some more unlikely standout scores for tight ends came from Charlie Kolar, Gunnar Helm, Jake Tonges, and Mason Taylor.
Survivor carnage
The only two upsets of the day were critical in the Circa Sports Survivor contest, eliminating half of the participants on Sunday. The Falcons’ loss knocked out 33% of the remaining 4,210 entries while the Bengals sent 18.2% packing.
The Colts were the most-picked team, keeping 1,452 entries alive for the $18.7-million prize pool. Week 8 was the worst since Week 5 knocked out half the field as well. There are still 81 entries waiting to see if the Chiefs win on Monday night to keep them in the contest.
#CircaSurvivor 2025 🏈🏆Week 8 Selections
— Circa Sports (@CircaSports) October 26, 2025
📄https://t.co/pKsOvUP8OY pic.twitter.com/1KfetGq5lT
MNF preview
Since opening at -9 for Monday night’s standalone primetime game, the Kansas City Chiefs have moved to -11 at BetMGM and are getting 59% of the bets and 69% of the handle.
DraftKings has seen even less money on Washington (+10.5), with just 27% of the handle backing the road underdog that will be without starting quarterback Jayden Daniels.
The over is getting the majority of action and money at both sportsbooks. Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice is the most popular anytime TD scorer (-115) and first TD scorer (+550) at BetMGM, while teammate and tight end Travis Kelce is second in both markets.
