Sports betting roundup: NFL Week 3 brings thrills, big swings for bettors

Week 3 of the NFL season featured the most thrilling set of games in a while.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, there were seven NFL games in which the winning score came within the final 3 minutes of the fourth quarter, the most such games in a single day since the 1970 merger.

In addition, there was plenty of action in college football in Week 4.

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

Trends of the Week

At the BetMGM online sportsbook, the Chiefs were six-point favorites against the Giants on Sunday Night Football. After a sluggish first half, Kansas City turned it around and defeated New York 22-9. The Chiefs took in 73% of the bets and 77% of the handle.

One of the most thrilling games of the day saw the Eagles and Rams go back and forth. Trailing 27-26 with a few seconds left in regulation, Los Angeles was attempting a winning field goal, but it was blocked and returned for a touchdown. Not only did it clinch the win for the Eagles, but it also allowed them to cover the 3.5-point spread. At BetMGM, 58% of the bets and 76% of the money were on the Rams +3.5.

Despite starting the year 0-2, the Houston Texans were the most-bet team to cover the spread (+1.5) against the Jaguars. Houston dropped to 0-3 with a 17-10 loss, as Jacksonville scored the winning touchdown with 1:48 remaining in regulation.

In college football, Oklahoma (-6.5) was the most-bet team in terms of against-the-spread bets and second most-bet team in against the spread money versus Auburn. Thanks to a safety with just under two minutes remaining, the Sooners beat the Tigers 24-17 and were able to cover the spread barely.

Upsets of the Week

The Packers were the biggest favorites on Sunday (-7.5) against the Browns. Green Bay ended up blowing a 10-point lead, as Cleveland scored 13 points in the final 3:38 of game action to stun the Packers 13-10.

Another upset was the Panthers shutting out the Falcons 30-0. Carolina closed as 5.5-point underdogs but took in 37% of the bets and 67% of the money. Entering Sunday, NFL teams favored by four or more points were 13-0.

Coming Up

The Ryder Cup is this week at Bethpage Black.

The United States, which is coming off a loss in Rome two years ago, is -145 to win, while Europe is +160. A tie is +1100.

Scottie Scheffler (+300) is favored to be the top points scorer for the United States, while Rory McIlroy (+350) is favored to be the top points scorer for Europe.

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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