NFL favorites achieved a historic feat in Week 9, winning 14 of 15 games, the most ever in a single week during the Super Bowl era. The run began with 12 straight favorites victories before the Green Bay Packers upset the New England Patriots as 3.5-point underdogs. This dominant performance left bookmakers facing one of their worst days in years, with Neil Walsh of Hard Rock Bet calling it their worst day in two years.
The betting public found success largely through parlays, particularly those featuring the Buffalo Bills as the final leg, which cashing long-shot tickets. Jamey Pileggi of Circa Sports noted the Bills were part of at least one 14-team and another 15-leg parlay. Despite the rough week for bookmakers, industry veterans like Johnny Avello of Draft Kings remain resilient, expecting three or four such weeks per season.
The only underdog victory came via the Packers, who were also publicly backed. NFL favorites not only won but covered the point spread in 11 games, one shy of the single-week record. Multiple sportsbooks reported this as their first losing week of the season despite the resilient outlook for the remainder of the year.
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing