Sports betting roundup: NFL playoffs get closer as favorites go 9-3 straight up

Here’s a look at how things played out from a sports betting perspective:

Trends of the Week

At the BetMGM online sportsbook, NFL favorites went 9-3 straight up on Sunday, but a few failed to cover the spread, including some of the most popular teams. The three most bet teams in terms of number of bets all failed to cover. Those teams were the Detroit Lions (-13.5 vs. the New York Giants), the New England Patriots (-7.5 at the Cincinnati Bengals) and the Kansas City Chiefs (-3.5 vs. the Indianapolis Colts ).

When it comes to player props, New York Jets running back Breece Hall’s over 17.5 receiving yards was the most bet prop on Sunday. Hall easily cleared this number, finishing with 75 yards. He was New York’s leading receiver in the 23-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

While the Chiefs didn’t cover the spread against the Colts, they did win 23-20 in overtime. Kansas City entered the game as the losers of two straight, and Patrick Mahomes improved to 6-0 straight up in games after losing two straight in the same season.

The total in Notre Dame and Syracuse on Saturday was 50.5. Notre Dame won 70-7 and nearly cashed the over on their own in the first half when the led 49-0 after the first 30 minutes.

As a nine-point favorite against Arkansas, Texas was the most bet team on Saturday. They won 52-37. Going into the game, the Longhorns were 2-7-1 against the spread this year.

Upsets of the Week

The biggest upset on Sunday was the Cleveland Browns’ 24-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Cleveland was a 3.5-point underdog in Shedeur Sanders’ first career start. The Browns took in 60% of the bets and 89% of the money.

Another upset was the Dallas Cowboys beating the Philadelphia Eagles as a three-point underdog. Dallas trailed 21-0 and came back to win 24-21. Dallas took in 40% of the bets and 63% of the money.

Coming Up

The Heisman Trophy race has seen a lot of movement in the odds each week. This past weekend, it was Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love jumping up the oddsboard.

As of Nov. 24, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza leads the odds at -105, followed by Love at +375.

After those two comes Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin at +400, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia at +600 and Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed at +1300.

This column was provided to The Associated Press by BetMGM online sportsbook.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports