Brady, QBs snooze on ugly day for bettors
On paper, it looked like a Sunday to catch up on sleep and not get involved with many NFL games. Unfortunately for some, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots did just that.
But Brady had company. More of the league’s top quarterbacks — Drew Brees, Tony Romo and Tim Tebow — also were sleepwalking. (The inclusion of Tebow is a joke, obviously.)
Some weeks, the schedule looks ugly but the games turn out surprisingly entertaining. This was not one of those weeks. Most of the matchups were weak on paper and turned out worse in reality.
Except for the bookmakers, who were getting a thrill out of counting their winnings.
“When you win, it’s a tremendous day,” said Jimmy Vaccaro, director of operations for Lucky’s sports books. “The win or the loss is the most important part.”
Too many bettors ended up bored and broke, the gamblers’ equivalent of going through life fat and stupid. It goes both ways. Bookmakers have had bad weeks, too. But Week 8 was one of their best.
“It turned around pretty good as far as some of these favorites getting snuffed out early,” Vaccaro said.
There are always individual exceptions, but in general, the betting public and the wiseguys took a beating, and I’ll attempt to describe what caused the train wreck.
Sharp money showed on Indianapolis, which closed as a 7½-point underdog in a 27-10 loss at Tennessee. The Colts never were in the game, and the line move proved to be sharp as a spoon.
Houston was bet from a 9½- to a 10-point favorite in a 24-14 victory over Jacksonville. The Texans narrowly covered — or pushed — on Neil Rackers’ 39-yard field goal with 18 seconds to go. Some books took a small loss on the game, but it was not a major decision.
Minnesota, an underdog of 3 to 3½ points, upended Carolina, 24-21. The Panthers, who drew more public action, failed to force overtime when Olindo Mare missed a chip shot from 31 yards.
Several parlays and teasers were blown up by St. Louis’ 31-21 upset of New Orleans. A week after pounding the Colts by 55 points, Brees and the Saints fell behind 24-0. But few bettors wanted any part of the Rams, who were 13½-point ‘dogs and plus-700 on the money line.
Baltimore, an 11½-point favorite, dug out of a 24-3 hole to squeak by Arizona, 30-27. The Ravens burned the public’s cash for the second time in seven days.
The New York Giants, 9½-point home favorites, needed a comeback to beat Miami, 20-17. Not many were lining up early to bet on the winless Dolphins.
“We knocked out a lot of parlays and teasers,” said Vaccaro, referring to the Giants, Ravens and Saints flopping as favorites. “Anytime you pencil in the (underdogs) like we did early, you’re in great shape.”
In the afternoon, sharp money surfaced on Washington and Seattle. The Redskins were bet from 6- to 4-point ‘dogs and they played dead in a 23-0 loss to Buffalo. The Seahawks were bet from 3- to 1½-point home ‘dogs and took a 34-12 whipping from Cincinnati.
Two-way action was reported on Detroit’s 45-10 victory over Denver. The Lions, who covered as 3-point favorites, shut up the annoying Tebow cheerleaders, as I expected. The Broncos are bad, and blind faith in Tebow is not going to lead to many winning wagers.
San Francisco, a 9-point favorite, added a field goal with 1:56 left to beat Cleveland, 20-10. The public leaned to the favorite, but there were wiseguys who took the bait with the Browns.
The last sharp play of the day was on Dallas, and I’ll admit to getting suckered on this game. The Cowboys, bet from 3½- to 3-point ‘dogs, were no-shows, and the Philadelphia Eagles finally resembled a “Dream Team” in a 34-7 rout.
The fiasco was not all on Romo. Dallas’ defense was embarrassed by Michael Vick. On paper, it was one of Sunday’s two intriguing matchups, but even both of those triggered boredom.
Brady’s play was uninspiring, and the Patriots, favored by 2½ to 3, never threatened to cover while getting dumped 25-17 at Pittsburgh. Ben Roethlisberger completed 36 of 50 passes for 365 yards and two touchdowns, but the Steelers’ defense denied everyone who bet on a shootout going over the total of 52.
“The Steelers were a little sharper than the Patriots,” Vaccaro said. “It was a good decision for us, and the total came out good for us, too.
“Great matchups help, but just because there are bad matchups, it doesn’t matter. The money shows. It’s unbelievable. The (bettors) show up every week.”
Most bettors would have been better off sleeping all day.
Contact sports betting columnist Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. He co-hosts the “Las Vegas Sportsline” weeknights at midnight on KDWN-AM (720) and thelasvegassportsline.com.
