Eagles Miracle Comeback Not So Great for Bodog
by Richard Gardner | Bodog Sportsbook Manager - 12/22/2010
There probably wasn’t anyone as upset on Sunday as New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin. Not after the Philadelphia Eagles scored 28 points in the final 7:18 to beat his team 38-31 at the New Meadowlands Stadium.
"I've never been around anything like this in my life," Coughlin said after the game. "It's about as empty as you get to feel in this business, right there."
But the Giants weren’t the only losers after what they’re calling "The Miracle at the New Meadowlands." Bodog took a pretty big hit as well.
In what was the most heavily bet game of the Sunday morning action, nearly 60 percent of the wagers against the point spread were booked on the Eagles (+3). Throw in the fact that more than 70 percent of bettors took the over (47) and you can understand why we were a little disappointed with the result.
That’s not to say the day was a complete disaster. Bodog made out very well when the Washington Redskins were able to fight back from 20 points down to make their game with the Cowboys a close one. Dallas ended up winning 33-30 but the Redskins covered the +9 spread, so thanks for that, Rex Grossman.
On that note, I’ll be curious to see how bettors react to Grossman’s performance (322 yards, 4 TDs) when the Redskins (+7) visit Jacksonville this week. The game against Dallas marked the first time all season that Washington had scored 30 points. Granted, the Jags are still very much alive in the race for the playoffs in the AFC so they should be the more desperate team.
As for the rest of last Sunday’s action, the book profited nicely when the New York Jets (+4) upset the Pittsburgh Steelers, 22-17, and also when the Green Bay Packers (+15) lost a nail-biter to New England, 31-27, thanks to the inspired play of young quarterback Matt Flynn. The players, meanwhile, were all over the Falcons (-7) in Seattle, and were happy to see Atlanta throttle the Seahawks, 34-18.
Looking ahead to Week 16 in the NFL, I expect the big betting game to be Monday night’s NFC South showdown between the Saints (+3) in Atlanta. Needing to win their last two games of the season for any hope of winning the division, New Orleans will be extremely motivated to play this one and I think we’ll see some sharp action on the underdog. The Falcons, on the other hand, need only beat Carolina next week to clinch the division, so they know they’ve got an out if they don’t play well against the defending champs.
Sunday’s game between the Packers and Giants is also a huge one so far as playoff implications are concerned and will be a popular one with bettors. The status of Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers (concussion) is still unclear, so we’ll have to wait and see where we set the line.
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