Raiders torment bettors again, boost sportsbooks with upset win
The betting public still hasn’t figured out the Raiders, who lit gamblers’ money on fire for the fourth straight Sunday to start the season.
Sportsbooks should hang silver and black streamers after improving to 4-0 on Raiders games following their 20-16 victory over the Browns as 2½-point underdogs at Allegiant Stadium.
“The Raiders have been our friend for four straight weeks. Regardless of who we have needed in the Raiders game, it has worked out well for us,” Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said. “In Week 1, we clearly needed the Chargers, and we got them. In Week 2, we clearly needed the Raiders against the Ravens, and we got them.
“In Week 3, we needed the Panthers against the Raiders, and we got them. And in Week 4, we actually needed the Raiders again against the Browns, with Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby out, and we got them.”
The favorite flipped in the game Friday, from the Raiders -2 to the Browns -2, after coach Antonio Pierce said Adams and Crosby wouldn’t play.
“As news came in that Crosby and Adams were out, there wasn’t a huge wave of money on the Browns, but it was enough to where we actually needed the Raiders in the game,” Westgate SuperBook vice president Jay Kornegay said. “The Raiders have really treated the books very well since Day 1. The Raiders are 4-for-4 for the books.”
Broncos bust bettors
Underdogs dominated again, going 8-4-1 against the spread with six outright wins.
The Broncos beat the Jets 10-9 as 8-point underdogs in another big win for the books.
“This game was the parlay buster,” Caesars Sportsbook vice president of trading Craig Mucklow said.
New York was the second-most popular selection in the $1,000-entry Circa Survivor, eliminating 110 entries, which amount to $1.1 million. The record field of 14,266 is down to 481 still in the running for the $14.2 million prize.
Here are the other outright upsets: Commanders (+3½) beat Cardinals 42-14; Colts (+2½) beat Steelers 27-24; Vikings (+2½) beat Packers 31-29; and Buccaneers (+1) beat Eagles 33-16.
Bengals’ win big
Cincinnati beat Carolina 34-24 for its first victory and covered as a 4½-point favorite in the best game of the day for bettors.
“While the book had small wins on most of the games, the big winner for the customers was the Bengals’ cover and over,” Mucklow said. “Afternoon games went the customers way, except for the Raiders’ win, which saved the book in the afternoon.”
Bettors also cashed in on the 49ers, who covered as 10½-point favorites over the Patriots in a 30-13 win.
“We won more games than we lost, but we lost a couple big decisions that kept us close to even for the day, namely the Bengals and the 49ers,” Kornegay said.
Vikings’ quest
Despite nearly squandering a 28-0 lead, Minnesota delivered another big win for bettors as it became the NFL’s only team to win and cover its first four games.
“You look at that division and you thought Green Bay and Detroit were head and shoulders above everybody. I think you can put Minnesota in that area, too, right now,” Esposito said. “The impressive part of what the Vikings have done so far is they’ve beaten teams that want to be Super Bowl teams in the 49ers, Texans and Packers. Based on that, they’re definitely for real.”
Washington is another surprise squad at 3-1 atop the NFC East behind rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who leads the NFL in completion percentage (82.1) after completing 47 of 53 passes in back-to-back wins over the Bengals and Cardinals.
“We thought it was going to be a two-team race between the Eagles and Cowboys in the NFC East, but it looks like a three-team race now,” Esposito said. “It’s really impressive the way Jayden Daniels has played. He looks poised in the pocket.”
No safety dance
A Caesars bettor lost $105,000 when the Texans failed to cover as 6-point favorites over the Jaguars in a 24-20 win. But bettors on Houston, which closed at -5½, came awfully close to a miracle cover after scoring a go-ahead touchdown with 18 seconds left.
On the game’s final play, the Jaguars attempted a few desperation laterals from their 10-yard line. Travis Etienne caught the final lateral at the 1 before getting tackled in the end zone with no time remaining.
A safety would’ve given Texans bettors a cover and pushed the game over the total of 44½. But officials ruled Etienne’s forward progress had been stopped at the 1.
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.