Week 6 of the NFL season was all about the favorites.
At the BetMGM sportsbook, the six teams that received the most number of bets (all greater than 60%) all covered.
Those teams were: the Pittsburgh Steelers (-3, 81% of bets), Detroit Lions (-3, 81% of bets), Atlanta Falcons (-6, 75%), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3.5, 72%), Green Bay Packers (-5.5, 66%) and Houston Texans (-6.5, 64%).
Overall, road favorites went 8-0 against the spread.
Trends of the Week
One of the most exciting games on Sunday was the Buccaneers defeating the New Orleans Saints 51-27. New Orleans scored 27 points in the second quarter to make it a game, and then Tampa Bay scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to run away with the victory. The over of 42 points attracted 81% of the money, and that hit at halftime with the Saints leading 27-24.
Not only did the favorites win and cover, but the most bet players to score a touchdown also delivered. Four of the five most bet players to score a touchdown on Sunday all did — David Montgomery (-145), Terry McLaurin (+175), Ja’Tavion Sanders (+500) and Derrick Henry (-300). Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (-190) was the fifth-most bet player to score a touchdown but he did not find the end zone against the Cleveland Browns.
The Los Angeles Dodgers (-160) blew out the New York Mets 9-0 in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series on Sunday night. Los Angeles brought in just 36% of the bets and 42% of the money. Bettors were interested in the over of eight runs, with 73% of the money being on that.
Upsets of the Week
As much as the NFL was about the most bet teams covering, that didn’t happen in college football on Saturday. The three most bet teams all failed to cover, including two upsets: Ohio State (-3.5) at Oregon, Oklahoma (+14.5) against Texas, and Penn State (-3.5) at Southern California.
On the PGA Tour, Matt McCarty won the Black Desert Championship in just his second start. He entered the tournament with +5500 odds to win and brought in 1.3% of the pre-tournament bets and 2% of the money.
Coming Up
The Major League Baseball playoffs have reached the championship series with only four teams left.
When it comes to World Series odds, the Dodgers have the best odds to win at +110, closely followed by the New York Yankees at +175.
The other two teams are well behind, with the Cleveland Guardians at +550 and the Mets at +700.
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This column was provided to The Associated Press by BetMGM online sportsbook.
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