National Football League

'The public had a good day': Bettors win big on Eagles, Chiefs, Bengals

Updated Nov. 6, 2023 11:57 a.m. ET

After three weeks of bookmakers getting the best of bettors, the NFL Week 9 odds market finally provided some relief. That's what happens when popular favorites do their thing.

The positive wave for public/recreational bettors — who constitute the huge majority of those who wager — actually started in Europe, with the Dolphins-Chiefs game in Frankfurt, Germany.

Then the stateside key teams — particularly the Ravens, Eagles and Bengals — all got the job done.

Let's recap the weekend that was in football betting.

Hit the Trifecta

On Sunday morning, even before the early start between Miami and Kansas City, BetMGM trader Seamus Magee laid out the day.

"The public is on the Chiefs, and we'll be rooting for the Dolphins. There's been one-way action all week on the Eagles and the Bengals. We'll be cheering for Dallas, and Buffalo might end up being the biggest need of the week come Sunday night," Magee said.

Bettors came out on the right side of all three of those games. The Chiefs, 1-point favorites, earned a 21-14 win over the Dolphins. Philadelphia was a 3-point home favorite and held off Dallas 28-23. And Cincinnati topped Buffalo 24-18 on Sunday night to cover as a 1.5-point home favorite.

All three favorites beating the spread was certainly good for the betting public. But just winning — never mind covering — was likely the bigger key, as plenty of moneyline parlays cashed thanks to those three teams, and likely to Baltimore, as well. The Ravens were 6-point favorites against visiting Seattle and crushed the Seahawks 37-3.

But while BetMGM got beat up in the big picture nationally, it had pockets of regional success.

"Sunday started good with the Europe game, due to a very large exotic wager on an alternate total that we won," BetMGM Nevada's Scott Shelton said. "Then the Vikings beating the Falcons outright was good. In the afternoon, we lost a large moneyline parlay bet on the Eagles' win. But we did OK on the game, due to a ton of late Cowboys action."

The parlay Shelton alluded to was a significant six-figure wager on Browns moneyline -500/Eagles moneyline -155. Cleveland had no issue with undermanned Arizona, winning 27-0, and Philly finished the job with its win over Dallas.

And at the Beau Rivage sportsbook in Biloxi, Mississippi — a BetMGM shop — sportsbook manager Carl Johnson reported the biggest bet of the day was one of several that fell in the book's favor: $420,000 on Bills +1.5 (-105) at the Bengals. As noted above, Buffalo lost 24-18.

Jalen Hurts, Eagles survive against Dak Prescott, Cowboys

Breaking Bad

John Murray, executive director of The SuperBook, has pointed out all season that moneyline parlays will make or break the NFL weekend. Once the Eagles came through for bettors in Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET window, there were plenty of live moneyline parlay tickets for Sunday Night Football.

"We had some big bets on the Bengals and some moneyline parlay action also going to Cincy," Murray said. "Not too many ‘dogs got there today for us, obviously."

Including the Giants. New York lost quarterback Daniel Jones to a first-quarter knee injury against Las Vegas. The Raiders rolled 30-6, which was perhaps surprising after a turmoil-filled week. Coach Josh McDaniels was fired, QB Jimmy Garoppolo was benched, and rookie Aidan O'Connell started under center against New York.

You wouldn't think that would be a recipe to attract a lot of bets. But the Raiders actually were well-bet at multiple sportsbooks, including The SuperBook. Sharp bettors were on the Giants at +3.5 and +2.5 in a game that closed Raiders -1.5. But the public was on Las Vegas and got paid.

"The public definitely had a good day. We had been on a good run, but we lost a lot back this week," Murray said, while quickly putting the results behind him. "You can't win ‘em all. On to Week 10."

RJ Young reacts to the Alabama Crimson Tide beating the LSU Tigers

On Campus

The Week 10 college football odds market was more of a seesaw battle between the bookies and the bettors. In arguably the biggest game, LSU vs. Alabama, BetMGM customers came out ahead with the Crimson Tide's 42-28 win and cover as 3-point home favorites. But Clemson's 31-23 home win as a 3.5-point ‘dog against Notre Dame helped swing the pendulum back some at BetMGM.

Prior to either of those kickoffs, Magee said: "The Tigers of LSU and Clemson are two underdogs we're cheering for, as the money keeps pouring in on Alabama and Notre Dame."

Added BetMGM Nevada's Shelton: "We traded money back-and-forth for most of the college card. But we lost some of the bigger needs later in the day, including on UNLV and in the nightcap, with Colorado covering the 13.5 against Oregon State."

It's not often a bookmaker, even in Las Vegas, loses to UNLV. But the Rebels have been surprisingly strong this season, going 7-2 straight up (SU) and an even more robust 8-1 against the spread (ATS). UNLV is tied with Arizona for the best ATS record in the nation.

The Rebels flattened New Mexico 56-14 as a 15-point road favorite.

As for Colorado, Coach Prime & Co. are still getting enough public attention on the point spread and the moneyline to create liability for the books. The Buffaloes trailed Oregon State 23-5 in the fourth quarter, but added two touchdowns in a 26-19 loss, covering the number as 13.5-point home underdogs.

Maalik Murphy, Texas hold off Will Howard, Kansas State

I Like Big Bets and I Cannot Lie

Interestingly, some of the largest reported bets this weekend didn't land on the Las Vegas Strip or in one of the big sports betting states such as New Jersey or New York. Rather, the aforementioned BetMGM shop at Beau Rivage in Biloxi had high rollers dropping big dollars. Particularly on a big college football Saturday, with the sportsbook located in prime SEC territory.

The best big-bet sweat, though, came in a Big 12 clash between Kansas State and Texas. A Beau Rivage customer put $330,000 on Kansas State +3.5. The Wildcats lost 33-30 in overtime, with the bettor winning when K-State decided to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line, instead of kicking a field goal to force a second overtime.

The fourth-down attempt failed, but the Wildcats covered the 3.5. The bettor profited $300,000 for a $630,000 total payout.

Other major wagers in Biloxi:

– $230,000 USC +3 (-115) vs. Washington (loss)

– $230,000 Missouri +15.5 (115) vs. Georgia. Mizzou covers in a 30-21 loss, bettor profits $200,000, for a $430,000 total payout.

– $165,000 Arkansas +3 at Florida. Razorbacks win 39-36, bettor profits $150,000, for a $315,000 total payout.

– $157,500 LSU +3 (-105) at Alabama (loss)

Johnson said there were some monster NFL plays Sunday, too, that all fell in favor of the book:

– $420,000 Bills +1.5 (-105) at Bengals (loss)

– $330,000 Cowboys +3 at Eagles (loss)

– $330,000 Giants +1.5 at Raiders (loss)

Per usual, Caesars Sports took a gaggle of major wagers on the NFL Week 9 odds market. Among those notable plays:

– $220,000 Bengals -2 vs. Bills. Bettor profits $200,000, for a $420,000 total payout.

– $110,000 Saints -7 vs. Bears. Saints win 24-17, so the bet pushes and customer gets a refund.

– $60,000 Dolphins -1.5 (+112) vs. Chiefs (loss)

– $55,000 Giants +2 at Raiders (loss)

Then there was this interesting play at Caesars: $28,200 at -115 on there not being a safety in any Sunday/Monday NFL game. The bet would've won $24,522 if it cashed.

But alas, it didn't cash. The Falcons recorded a safety against the Vikings, sacking Josh Dobbs in the end zone in the second quarter.

Just another reminder to keep those bets reasonable. Never wager more than you can afford to lose. Enjoy the Chargers-Jets Monday nighter!

Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He's based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on Twitter: @PatrickE_Vegas