NFL Week 3 Sports Betting: Moneyline Bettors Loved Ravens

Ravens moneyline bettors should all pony up a couple of bucks to Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker’s favorite charity. The likely Hall of Fame kicker and darn good opera singer flipped moneyline wagers in a wholesale way on Sunday when his 66-yard field goal attempt reached the crossbar and bounced the right way (for the Ravens) giving Baltimore an improbable last-second 19-17 win over the underdog Lions in Detroit.

The kick set an NFL record for longest field goal ever and made money for the vast majority of folks who placed any moneyline wagers on that game.

The Lions, getting 7.5 points, certainly covered the spread. But the public had dumped tons of money on the Ravens to win outright at some sportsbooks. For instance, at BetRivers, the bettors were holding 93% of the moneyline tickets on the Ravens; an even higher percentage of the moneyline handle was with Baltimore.

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Ravens moneyline generated the second-highest volume of any individual market in the early window with 98% of the moneyline handle on the Ravens, according to BetRivers sportsbook manager Zach Schlouch.

At PointsBet, 89% of the moneyline handle was on the Ravens. Similarly, 89% of the moneyline handle was on Baltimore at FanDuel.

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Are Pittsburgh Steelers in Trouble?

Pittsburgh may have stamped itself as officially in trouble after Sunday's 24-10 loss to Cincinnati. The Steelers entered the game 3-point favorites and were playing at home. Their rebuilt offensive line isn’t quite finished with the rebuilding yet, though. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was hammered by the Bengals defense for most of the day and second-year Cincinnati QB Joe Burrow struck for three TD passes.

There was a moneyline anomaly to this game on FanDuel. The Steelers were carrying 82% of the moneyline handle but the betting tickers were split 50-50 between the Bengals and Pittsburgh. At PointsBet, the Steelers had 87% of the moneyline handle. Pittsburgh is now 1-2 in the AFC North and 1-2 ATS after a Week 1 upset win over Buffalo, so the public might stop its cash backing of Pittsburgh.

Arizona Cardinals Cover

The Arizona Cardinals might have become a betting darling. The public loves offense and the Cardinals, averaging more than 30 points a game and off to a 3-0 start in the NFC West, showed some firepower in beating Jacksonville, 31-19.

The Cardinals were 7.5- to 8-point favorites. Illustrating the confidence the public had in the Cards, 92% of the spread handle was on Arizona at FanDuel. Of course, the opponent was Jacksonville, seen as the among worst teams in the NFL along with Detroit and any team whose name begins with the words “New York.”

Chicago Bears Struggling to Score

The Bears have remained a bit of a question mark and appear to be looking for an offensive identity. Going into Sunday’s game against Cleveland (7.5-point favorites), the spread handle and the moneyline handle were split evenly 50-50 at Fan Duel.

But there was a lot less uncertainty at PointsBet with 80% of the spread handle on the Browns and 63% of the money handle on Cleveland. The Browns easily handled Chicago, 26-6, leaving the Bears 1-2 in the NFC North and ATS. Expect the public to abandon the Bears until they prove they can find the end zone; Chicago has scored just 40 points in its three games.

And the Washington Football Team came down to earth with a thud. After a prime-time win over the New York Giants in Week 2, the WFT was walloped by Buffalo, 43-21, failing to cover the 7.5 points.

The New Yorks — the NFC East Giants and AFC Jets — are a combined 0-6 on the scoreboard and 1-5 against the point spread. On Sunday, the Giants were actually favored by 2.5 points over Atlanta but lost outright, 17-14, while the Jets were getting 10 points against Denver but couldn’t make a game of it in losing 26-0.