National Football League

NFL odds: Season betting recap; Best, worst teams against the spread

Updated Jan. 11, 2023 6:18 p.m. ET

Playoff teams were among the best performers against the spread (ATS) in the NFL this season (the New York Giants were the best at 13-4). No surprise there.

But can you guess which non-playoff team did the best for spread bettors?

It was the Detroit Lions, who went 9-8 straight up (SU) but were 12-5 ATS, third-best among NFL teams, according to the FOX Sports Research Team.

The Lions were popular with bettors to win the NFC North Division prior to the season, thanks to their appearance on HBO's "Hard Knocks." They're even more popular now with gamblers, thanks to their ATS performance.

Another surprise team? Tom Brady, always popular with bettors (winning seven Super Bowls tends to make you a hit with the gambling community), and the Tampa Buy Buccaneers were 4-12-1 ATS, worst in the league. The Bucs were the lone playoff team among the four worst ATS squads this season.

Betting the underdogs paid off this year as 'dogs went 142-124-4 ATS (53.4%), the third-highest cover rate by underdogs since 2016. The two seasons that were better for underdog ATS bettors were 2020 (139-113-1, 55.2%) and 2018 (132-111-9, 54.3%).

Here are the best and worst teams ATS this season:

BEST

New York Giants: 13-4 ATS (9-7-1 SU)
Cincinnati Bengals: 12-4 (12-4)
Detroit Lions: 12-5 (9-8)
Los Angeles Chargers: 11-5-1 (10-7)
San Francisco 49ers: 11-6 (13-4)

WORST

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 4-12-1 ATS (8-9)
Chicago Bears: 5-11-1 (3-14)
Indianapolis Colts: 6-11 (4-12)
Los Angeles Rams: 6-10-1 ATS (5-12 SU)

Here are some other ATS betting gems unearthed by the FOX Sports Research Team:

The Under in the Over/Under hit in 147 out of 259 games this season (56.8%), the second-highest Under rate since 1986 (127-217, 58.5% in 1986)
Double-digit underdogs went 11-18 ATS and 26-3 over the season
There were nine teams that had a preseason O/U win total of 7.5 or less that hit the over: Atlanta Falcons (4.5, won 7 games), New York Jets (5.5, 7), Seattle Seahawks (5.5, 9), Carolina Panthers (6.5, 7), Lions (6.5, 9), Jacksonville Jaguars (6.5, 9), Giants (7.5, 9), Pittsburgh Steelers (7.5, 9) and Washington Commanders (7.5, 8).
On the other end, teams that hit the Under for their projected win total include the Buccaneers (11.5, won 8 games), Green Bay Packers (11.5. 8) Chargers (10,5, 10), Denver Broncos (10.5, 5), Rams (10.5, 5), Arizona Cardinals (9.5, 4), Tennessee Titans (9.5, 7), Colts (9.5, 3), New England Patriots (8.5, 8), Las Vegas Raiders (8.5, 6), New Orleans Saints (7.5, 7), Bears (7.5, 3) and Houston Texans (4.5, 3).

Are you ready to make an NFL bet? If so, head over to FOX Bet for all your wagers.

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