Betting Recap - Week 11
By Daniel Dobish
VegasInsider.com
National Football League Week 11 Results
Favorites-Underdogs
Straight Up 11-2
Against the Spread 9-3-1
Home-Away
Straight Up 6-7
Against the Spread 5-7-1
Totals (O/U)
Over-Under 6-7
The largest underdogs to win straight up
Giants (+10, +350 ML) vs. Chiefs, 12-9 (OT)
Bengals (+2.5, +130 ML) at Broncos, 20-17
The largest favorite to cover
Chargers (-7) vs. Bills, 54-24
Jaguars (-7) at Browns, 19-7
Patriots (-7) at Raiders, 33-8
Steelers (-7) vs. Titans, 40-17
Giant Confusion
The New York Giants fell to the winless San Francisco 49ers in Week 10, so they were going to get creamed by the Super Bowl hopeful Kansas City Chiefs, right? Well, the hard-to-figure G-Men ended up putting up a tremendous defensive effort in a 12-9 overtime victory against the Chiefs. The Giants improved to 2-8 SU and 4-6 ATS, as you never know which team is going to show up. Remember when they won straight-up on the road against the Denver Broncos as 13 1/2-point underdogs back on Oct. 15. The 'over' was also 5-2 over their past seven, so naturally the game was the lowest-scoring game on the entire schedule after overtime no less.
STOP LATERALLING ON THE FINAL PLAY!!!
With a total of 44, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicked the game-winning field goal with :04 left in regulation, taking a 23-20 lead on the Miami Dolphins. 'Under' bettors are OK, right? Wrong. The Dolphins had a series of laterals, all the while going in the complete opposite direction. Naturally, the ball clips off a Miami player and falls into the end zone where Adarius Glanton of the Bucs pounces on it for the 29-20 left with :00 left. Of course, the NFL makes them kick the meaningless extra point, too, just in case bettors could use an adjustment to the result of their teasers, too.
Total Recall
The Philadelphia Eagles tried their hardest on Sunday Night Football to cash the 'over' (48.5), putting up 30 second-half points. The Dallas Cowboys didn't come along for the ride, however, going without any points in the second half, and with just three field goals for the entire game. Nah, they're not missing Ezekiel Elliott at all after two outings of his six-game suspension. No wonder Jerry Jones is working hard to make sure Roger Goodell is not brought back as NFL Commissioner.
The two lowest totals on the board -- Jacksonville-Cleveland (37) and Cincinnati-Denver (37.5) each cashed the 'under'. In fact, the Jags scored a defensive touchdown late, or the score would have been even lower. The Bengals-Broncos game might have been a push at some shops, but officially it cashed by a half-point at most shops. The 'over' had been 3-1 in the past four for Cincinnati, while the 'over' was 3-0 in the past thre for Denver, mostly because their defense hasn't been able to stop anyone.
The New England-Oakland (55.5) game at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City was expected to be a shootout at elevation, but only the Patriots got the memo. They posted 33 points, while the Raiders didn't score their first points until the fourth quarter well after the result of the game was decided. At least Washington-New Orleans (53) was as advertised. The teams combined for 25 points in the fourth quarter in a game decided in overtime. The 'over' is 3-2 at the Superdome this season.
The 'Over/under' is 1-1 through the first two primetime games of Week 11, and the 'over' is 21-13 (61.7%) through the first 34 primetime games of the 2017 season with Monday's Atlanta Falcons-Seattle Seahawks game still pending. Officially, the 'over' finished 27-24 (52.9%) through 51 games under the lights in 2016. In 2015, the over finished 20-28-1 (41.7%) in 49 primetime games. In 2014, the over went 33-17 (66.0%) in primetime games, and the over was 28-22 (56.0%) in 2013.
Injury Report
Rams WR Robert Woods (shoulder) had his arm in a sling after Sunday's loss at Minnesota due to a shoulder injury. He'll have an MRI on Monday.
Redskins RB Chris Thompson (leg) suffered a fractured fibula which requires surgery and he is done for the season.
Looking Ahead
The Lions will host the Vikings to kick off Thanksgiving. The teams met back in Week 4, with the Lions winning 14-7 as 2 1/2-point underdogs at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. These teams also met last Thanksgiving, with the Lions winning and covering. In fact, Detroit is 3-0 SU/ATS with the 'under' going 3-0 in the past three meetings in this series. The 'under' is 7-1 in the past eight meetings in this series.
The Redskins will host the Giants in the evening game on Thanksgiving. The Giants have dominated this series lately, going 6-2 SU/ATS in the past eight meetings. Washington has won just once in the past four home games against the G-Men, while going 1-3 ATS. Four of the past five meetings at FedEx Field have resulted in the 'under', too.
The Colts host the Titans looking to avenge a 36-22 loss on Monday Night Football back on Oct. 16, failing to cover a seven-point number. It also snapped an 11-game winning streak by Indianapolis in the series dating back to Oct. 30, 2011. The Titans haven't won in Indianapolis since Dec. 30, 2007. The 'over' has connected in four of the past five meetings in the series.
The Falcons host the Buccaneers, a team they haven't had a lot of luck against lately. Atlanta is just 1-3 SU/ATS over the past four meetings in this series. The 'over' has hit in three of the past four meetings in Atlanta, although this is the first meetings at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Patriots host the Dolphins, and they opened as 16 1/2-point favorites. New England has won eight straight games at Gillette Stadium against Miami dating back to Sept. 21, 2008. The Patriots are also 5-0 ATS in their past five home games against the Dolphins, while going 4-1 ATS in the past five meetings overall.