NFL Week 13 Betting Recap from Bodog
by Richard Gardner | Bodog Sportsbook Manager - 12/9/2010
When Drew Stanton was announced as the Detroit Lions’ quarterback for Sunday’s home game against the Chicago Bears, bettors were quick to predict failure for the inexperienced 26-year-old Michigan State product. That the Lions had lost four straight games heading into their contest with the streaking Bears didn’t help Stanton’s case. Not surprisingly, over 70 percent of the action came in on Chicago (-6).
But then something unexpected happened. Stanton actually played pretty well, completing 16 of 24 attempts for 178 yards, a touchdown and, perhaps most importantly, no interceptions. Detroit went on to lose the game, 24-20, but that meant the Bears failed to cover the six points and the book had a big win.
Detroit is yet again a sizable home underdog this week when the Lions (+7) host the Packers.
Speaking of Green Bay, the book didn’t fare quite so well when the Packers (-9) destroyed the 49ers, 34-16, at Lambeau. In fact, it represented our biggest loss of the morning. That the public was all over the Pack came as little surprise to us. Green Bay was coming off a tough loss in Atlanta so you knew the team would be motivated to play well in its next game. Maybe if the Packers had won in Atlanta, things would have been different. Maybe there would have been a letdown against the 49ers.
The afternoon saw another big win for the players when the Falcons (-3) escaped Tampa Bay with a 28-24 victory despite trailing 24-14 at one point in the fourth quarter.
Atlanta is a big 7.5-point road favorite this week in Carolina, which is coming off a shellacking in Seattle. Once again I expect most of the action to come in on the Falcons, though I know of a few sharps that will be seriously tempted by the home dog. Despite Atlanta’s 10-2 record, a lot of experienced bettors still aren’t sold on the team. Not to mention, a game against a side like the Panthers right after an emotional win could be tough to get up for if you’re the Falcons.
From a betting perspective, the other big game of note last week was Dallas-Indianapolis. The Colts (-6) lost their third straight and fourth in their last five when they fell to the Cowboys, 38-35, in overtime. That was a good result for us, with most bettors expecting Peyton Manning to bounce back after a dreadful performance against the Chargers. But that obviously didn’t happen, and I’ll be curious to see how much confidence there is in the Colts this week when they go to Tennessee in what has to be considered a must-win.
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