Weekend Betting Recap

With the final weekend before Thanksgiving in the books, it’s time to take a look back at the biggest wins and interesting results for the weekend of November 20 to November 22 on BetRivers.com with our Weekend Betting Recap.

WEEKEND BETTING RECAP: NFL WEEK 11

Rams (6-3) at Buccaneers (7-3): The Week 11 finale pits Tom Brady against the Rams for the first time since Brady’s Patriots and Los Angeles combined for just 16 points in Super Bowl 53. Bettors are expecting a lot more fireworks on Monday Night Football, with 77% of the O/U handle backing Over 48.5. At 2-7 O/U, the Rams (+180 ML) fare much better against the spread, covering in five of nine games. The Buccaneers (-4.5, -210 ML) have covered in five of their ten games played, with all five of the wins coming by double-digits. The public is backing the Buccaneers to win (69% of ML handle) and cover (65% of spread handle).

Chiefs 35, Raiders 31: The Raiders (+7.5, +280 ML) looked to be on their way to sweeping the season series with the Chiefs (-335 ML), but the go-ahead TD pass from Derek Carr to Jason Witten with 1:43 remaining gave Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs one final drive to win the high-scoring Sunday finale. The Chiefs, backed by 93% of the ML handle, needed just seven plays to go 75 yards and find the end zone to pull off the dramatic comeback win, with Mahomes finding Travis Kelce on a 22-yard game-winning TD pass. 

When the Raiders defeated the Chiefs in Week 5, 25% of the spread handle was on Las Vegas to cover 11.5 points. On Sunday night, 14% of the spread handle backed the Raiders to cover 7.5 points. The two teams combined for nine TDs on Sunday night, more than enough to hit Over 56 (79% of O/U handle).

Broncos 20, Dolphins 13: The underdog Broncos (+3.5, +165 ML) held a 3-point halftime lead over the Dolphins (-195 ML), a team looking for its sixth straight win. A third-quarter ankle injury to Tua Tagovailoa led to Ryan Fitzpatrick returning to the field, but there was no FitzMagic to be had. The Dolphins scored just three second-half points, and although they did have a last shot to tie the game, Fitzpatrick was intercepted by Justin Simmons in the end zone to give the Broncos a win for ML bettors (5% of ML handle) and spread bettors (16% of spread handle).

Chargers 34, Jets 28: For the seventh time in ten games, the Chargers (-9.5, -435 ML) entered halftime with the lead. But for just the third time this season, the Chargers exited the game with a win, beating the winless Jets (+360 ML) by six. The Chargers elected to take a safety with eight seconds left to prevent the Jets from getting a chance to block a punt out of the end zone, changing the score differential from eight to six. The Chargers were backed by 95% of the ML handle, and the Jets did their part, scoring 22 second-half points, enough to ensure a win for Over 47.5 (69% of spread handle) with relative ease. The Jets have now covered in three of their last four games. 

Colts 34, Packers 31: The Packers (+106 ML) looked well on their way to an easy victory, leading the Colts (-1.5, -120 ML) 18-14 at the half despite being underdogs for just the third time this season. But the second half was anything but easy, as the Colts scored 17 straight points to take a 31-28 lead with five minutes left in the game. But the Packers were able to get into FG range and force overtime on the leg of Mason Crosby with three seconds left. 

Marquez Valdes-Scantling fumbled the ball on the opening possession of overtime, leading to a game-winning FG from Rodrigo Blakenship, giving the Colts a stunning come-from-behind victory (20% of ML handle) and their sixth win ATS (25% of spread handle). Over bettors dealt with much less stress, as Over 52.5 (81% of O/U handle) — the biggest game total of Week 11 — hit early in the fourth quarter. 

Cowboys 31, Vikings 28: The Cowboys (+7, +255) held a nine-point halftime lead on the road against the Vikings (-305 ML) but allowed 13-straight points to enter the fourth quarter trailing 20-16. A 42-yard TD run from Tony Pollard (+750 anytime TD) gave Dallas the fourth-quarter lead, only for Kirk Cousins to find Justin Jefferson 39 yards downfield for the go-ahead TD with nine minutes remaining, hitting Over 50 (77% of O/U handle) in the process. But Andy Dalton had one final answer, driving the Cowboys 60 yards down the field and finding Dalton Schultz for the game-winning TD with just over a minute left. The victory ensured a win for Cowboys ML bettors (8% of ML handle) and Cowboys spread bettors (47% of spread handle).

Browns 22, Eagles 17: The first half of Eagles (+120 ML) vs. Browns (-2.5, -137 ML) finished without any offensive points, the first game to do so this season. It was the Browns defense that provided Cleveland with its biggest source of offense, with a first-half INT return for a TD (+2200 Any Other Browns TD), and a third-quarter safety (+1150). This was also the only game of Week 11 with the under backed by a majority of the public (68% of O/U handle), a winning bet that was never in much doubt.

Panthers 20, Lions 0: There was no Teddy Bridgewater or Christian McCaffery on Sunday, but there was no problem for the Panthers (+2.5, +115 ML)  against the Lions (-130 ML). Bettors were all over the home underdogs, backing Carolina with 89% of ML handle and 76% of the spread handle. The Lions became the first team since the Jets in Week 6 to fail to score a single point.

Saints 24, Falcons 9: With Drew Brees sidelined, not much faith was put in the home favorite Saints (-3.5, -182 ML) to win their sixth straight game, with 36% of the ML handle and 22% of the spread handle backing New Orleans. But the Saints brought a healthy dose of defense and a balanced offense en route to a big win over the Falcons (+160 ML). Taysom Hill scored two rushing TDs in his first career start under center, netting a handful of bettors a win on Hill to score multiple TDs (+1000). 

Steelers 27, Jaguars 3: The Jaguars (+410 ML) put up a fight early on, but the Steelers (-10.5, -500 ML) scored 17 points in the second quarter and 10 in the fourth quarter to earn their tenth consecutive win, as well as cover a double-digit spread (78% of spread handle). No early Sunday game had more money wagered than Pittsburgh vs. Jacksonville, and no single game bet had more money wagered than Steelers ML, with 97% of the ML handle backing the undefeated Steelers.

Texans 27, Patriots 20: The public was basically split on the matchup between two teams desperately needing a win to stay in playoff contention, with Texans (+2.5, +120 ML) being backed by 49% of the ML handle and 51% of the spread handle against the Patriots (-136 ML). Houston and New England provided first-half fireworks, but a second half which featured just one TD and three FGs led to Under 49 hitting (45% of O/U handle). 

Titans 30, Ravens 24 (OT): Despite dropping three of their previous four games, the Titans (+6, +230 ML), traveled to Baltimore and defeated the Ravens (-265 ML) in a rematch of their 2019 AFC Divisional playoff game thanks to an overtime TD run from Derrick Henry. Justin Tucker forced the extra session with a 29-yard FG at the end of regulation to give Over backers new life. The winning score from Henry hit Over 50.5 (75% of O/U handle), as well as Titans ML (41% of ML handle) and Titans spread (63% of spread handle).

Washington 20, Bengals 9: The Bengals (+106 ML) led Washington 9-7 early in the third quarter when Joe Burrow, the odds-on favorite to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, suffered a gruesome knee injury that required the 2020 No. 1 overall pick to be removed from the field on a stretcher. Washington (-1.5, -121 ML) scored on the next possession to go ahead by five, a lead they would not relinquish, much to the joy of the bettors backing the Football Team with 18% of the ML handle and 16% of the spread handle. 

WEEKEND BETTING RECAP: THE BEST OF THE REST

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: The most anticipated game of the weekend lived up to the hype and resulted in a plethora of winning bets thanks to No. 3 Ohio State’s 42-35 win over No. 9 Indiana (+700 ML). Hoosiers +20.5 was the most wagered-on single-game bet of the college football weekend and was backed by 82% of the spread handle. Ohio State -1000 ML was backed by 72% of the ML handle, and Over 67, which hit at the end of the third quarter, was backed by 85% of the O/U handle.

THE RSM CLASSIC: Robert Streb (+8000 to win) defeated Kevin Kisner on the first hole of a playoff to win the RSM Classic, his first PGA Tour win since 2014 when he won the same event, then known as the McGladrey Classic. Streb’s win led to a bunch of significant payouts, including a $2,025 win on a $25 wager at +8000, and a $175 win on a $0.25 live bet at +35000.

UFC 255: Deiveson Figueiredo (-300 ML), backed by 92% of the total bout handle, submitted Alex Perez (+205 ML) with a first-round guillotine choke to retain his UFC Flyweight Championship in the main event of UFC 255 on Saturday night. Bettors expected a finish, with Under 2.5 rounds (-110) and Fight Won’t Go the Distance (-500) as the most popular props of the main event.

In the co-main event, Valentina Shevchenko (-750 ML) successfully defended her UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship for a fourth time thanks to her unanimous decision victory over Jennifer Maia (+550 ML). Shevchenko was backed by 95% of the total bout handle, and bettors were also backing Over 2.5 rounds (-110), a smart play considering just two of Shevchenko’s 11 UFC fights ended before the third round.