Baltimore Ravens spread bettors took “Kick In The Pants” in Week 8. For the second time this season, a last-minute meaningless-to-the-game’s-outcome field goal left bettors, baffled, reeling, euphoric, and generally stunned. 

The Arizona Cardinals trailed the Baltimore Ravens 31-21 late Sunday afternoon. The Cardinals were facing a 2^nd and 15 on Baltimore’s 29-yard-line with 26 seconds to play. 

The Ravens closed at -9.5 at most books. They carried 82% of the spread handle at DraftKings . That number was 69% at BetMGM .

It was clear the public sentiment was with the road favorites this favoritism was reflected in the betting apps. 

Weighing the clock, the Cardinals opted to kick a field goal despite having at least two more shots at touchdown.

To the surprise of no one in this Metaverse, Matt Prater’s attempted onside kick was easily nestled by the Ravens. 

Lamar Jackson then took a knee. 

Ballgame. 

Final score: Baltimore 31, Arizona 24.

What The Heck Just Happened?

As frustrating for Ravens’ bettors as the late field goal was the fact that Baltimore led 24-7 with 9:27 left in the fourth quarter, and 31-15 with 2:51 remaining on the clock.

We don’t subscribe to “Bad Beat” narrative here because there are always at least two sides to every play. For each tale of woe and angst, someone, somewhere is going to be able to make their car payment on time this month. 

But that doesn’t mean there were lots of sullen bettors across the fruited plain. 

The “Arizona FG was a massive swing,” reports Circa Sports Director of Operations Jeffrey Benson. “10 was death.” 

Happy Halloween!

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“The worst beat of the day for bettors had to be the Baltimore game and the way that ended. Everyone in the book was screaming at that one,” Borgata AC Director of Race and Sports Thomas Gamble told Bookies.com late Sunday. 

The Cardinals back-door cover also “worked out well for the book,” SuperBookSports Risk Manager Andrew Babakitis added Sunday night.

We have seen this before in 2023. In Week 2, the Rams were 7.5-point underdogs and trailed the favored San Francisco 49ers 30-20. With 4 seconds to play, Sean McVay opted to kick a 38-yard field goal. It was good as time expired. 

The resulting 30-23 outcome may have delivered a win for 49ers in the standings, but not for those who bet on San Francisco against the spread. The line hovered between 6.5 and 8 points before closing at SF -7.5, depending on the book.

 Swifties ‘Shake It Off’

The spread and outright upset of the day occurred in Denver. The host Broncos knocked off the Chiefs 24-9. Even though Taylor Swift did not make the trip to the Mile High City, the Broncos made sure she was not forgotten after the game. It was the first loss since Travis Kelce and Swift went “public” with their relationship. 

“Shake It Off” blared form the loudspeakers at Whatever It’s Called This Week Stadium as the teams shook hands after the final gun. 

The Chiefs’ entered the week as 9.5-point favorites. That line withered to 7 points even before news of Patrick Mahomes’ bout with the flu became public knowledge Sunday morning. 

Vegas always knows. 

The Chiefs were still monstrous favorites on the moneyline. They had absorbed 93% of the moneyline handle at DraftKings at -345 as of early Sunday, and 76% of the spread money. 

“The Broncos beating SF was a big one for us, and I assume sportsbooks across the country,” Gable said. 

The Chiefs -7 spread was the most-bet team by handle at BetMGM. “Chiefs losing was best outcome for book today,” BetMGM Data and PR specialist John Ewing told bookies.com. 

Benson said his book also won big in terms of parlays and teasers that got wiped out by the Broncos triumph. 

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Public Losses Continue In Week 8

The public continued to land on the losing side of the ledger in Week 8, but the financial beating lessened in intensity. 

The public split in terms of totals. The most-bet overs included the Texans-Panthers (42.5), the Saints-Colts (43.5) and the Bengals-49ers (43.5). 

The public won on the last two, while the Panthers got their first victory the season in a 15-13 rock fight against Houston. 

The public also came out on top on the most-bet unders by tickets with the Chiefs-Broncos missing on their number of 45.5. 

The Patriots-Dolphins were the second-most bet under in terms of tickets, that one slipped to the over on a 31-17 Dolphins victory. The Jets-Giants, meanwhile fell far short of their total at 35.5. The Jets somehow won 13-10 in overtime. 

Breakdown By The Book 

BetMGM

The most-bet favorite in terms of tickets at BetMGM has only covered twice in eight weeks this season. 

“Chargers winning would be a good outcome for the sportsbook,” Ewing added in a post on X Sunday night. The Bears at +7.5 carried 76% of its liability on Sunday. 

The book had given up some ground earlier in the day. The most-bet underdog to win outright were the Bengals (+170). Joe Burrow showed that he’s back in his groove in a 31-17 outright win. The Bengals defense picked off Brock Purdy on consecutive possessions. 

Tommy DeVito (above, sort of) got the nod for the Giants at QB against the Jets. But he couldn’t do much with Big Blue’s offense. The Jets (-3) won in OT 13-10. 

Borgata AC

“A very good day overall,” Gable reported. The New Jersey book scored on the total in the Giants game falling short of its number, and on the total in the Eagles-Washington. Philly won that game 38-31. Both of games were pushes on the line. 

Circa Sports

“Decent day,” said Benson. His book needed the underdog Bears and the under on the total Sunday night. The favored (-8.5) Chargers rolled to a 30-13 win, but Circa profited as the score fell short of the 46.5 total. His book saw sharp action on the Saints (-2), who won and covered in a 38-27 victory. 

DraftKings 

The book got swept on its top-five most-best ML plays by handle. The Dolphins, Eagles, Jets, Seahawks, and Ravens all won outright. The book lost its top two most-bet spread plays in terms of handle, with the Panthers winning outright as 2.5-point home underdogs and the Dolphins (-8.5) rolling past the Patriots.

It gained ground on the Chiefs. The final two teams on its top-five most-bet list were the Eagles and Jets – both games ended with pushes on their respective lines. 

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PointsBet

Senior Editor Max Mayer noted the movement of former Kentucky QB Will Levis in the Offensive Rookie of the Year market after his stellar off-the-bench performance for the Titans in their 28-23 win over the Falcons. 

Levis became just the third NFL player since the merger to throw 4 TDs in his NFL debut, joining Fran Tarkenton, then of the N.Y. Giants, and Marcus Mariota, who also did it for the Titans in 2015. 

That performance propelled is odds to win OROY honors from +15000 before Week 8 to +2000 now, alongside Bijan Robinson of the Falcons. They trail C.J. Stroud at -200, Puka Nacua at +350 and Jordan Addison at +1200.

SuperBookSports 

“Panthers, Broncos and Bengals games were all big public action games. Which worked out really well for the book getting all three of those dogs outright,” Babakitis said. 

“Very solid three-week stretch. Hope the streak can continue with these big favorites losing outright.” His book saw sharp play win on the Seahawks, Broncos, and Bengals. The sharps took a beating on the Patriots. 

Betting Pool Update 

The top five plays this week in the Circa’s Survivor pool all proved successful. The Texans loss at Carolina knocked out 19 entrants, while the Chiefs’ fall at Mile High eliminated another six. 

Through Sunday night’s game, 1,234 of the 9,267 entrants remain, or 13.3%. Of those, 107 are riding with the Lions to bounce back at home against the Raiders Monday night. 

Major NFL Week 8 Bets Of Note

Winning wagers listed by payout and original bet. 

DraftKings

• Payout: $126,000 on $66,000 SEA (-3.5) at -110
• Payout: $13,750 on $5,000 DEN ML +275 

Caesars Sportsbook

• Payout: $99,000 on 7-Leg SGP MIA-NE
  Dolphins -6.5
  Over 41.5
  Raheem Mostert Anytime TD
  Jaylen Waddle Anytime TD
  Tyreek Hill Anytime TD
  Kendrick Bourne Anytime TD
  Tua Tagovailoa 3+ Passing TDs
• Payout: $420,000 on $220,000 Chargers -8.5 (-110) 
• Payout: $410,000 on $210,000 Denver +7 (-110)

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