Sports betting roundup: NFL regular season ends and playoffs start this weekend

The 2025 NFL regular season is over and the playoffs start this weekend.

Week 18 saw a few games come down to the wire, highlighted by a Sunday Night Football game between the Steelers and Ravens that decided the AFC North champion.

Here’s a look at how things played out from a sports betting perspective:

Trends of the Week

Favorites went 8-6 straight up Sunday at the BetMGM online sportsbook. The Ravens-Steelers game was the most bet game overall, followed by the Bears and Lions.

Pittsburgh, which was a 3.5-point underdog, came away with a 26-24 win to win the division and grab the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoffs. They took in 54% of the bets and 42% of the money. The Steelers will host Houston next Monday night.

Minnesota (-10.5 vs. Packers) was the most bet team to cover on Sunday. They won 16-3, covering the spread. The Vikings ended the year on a five-game winning streak, covering the spread in all five games.

Upsets of the Week

The biggest upset in the NFL on Sunday was the Browns’ 20-18 win over the Bengals as 7.5-point underdogs. Cincinnati took in 72% of the bets and 83% of the money. Another upset was the Raiders beating the Chiefs 14-12 as 4.5-point underdogs. Kansas City took in 65% of the bets and 72% of the money.

Coming Up

The College Football Playoff semifinals will be on Thursday and Friday.

On Thursday, Miami will take on Mississippi as 3.5-point favorites. On Friday, Indiana will take on Oregon as four-point favorites.

As of Monday, Indiana is the favorite to win the national championship at +130, with Oregon and Miami next at +300 and Ole Miss at +600.

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This column was provided to The Associated Press by BetMGM online sportsbook.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports