NFL, CFB Weekend Betting Recap: 'Mixed Bag of Results' for Books, Bettors

Ravens-Steelers provided a thrilling end to the regular-season battle between bookmakers and bettors.

But much like the rest of the NFL Week 18 odds market, results were mixed.

Multiple sportsbooks needed the Steelers on Sunday night and got them in wild fashion, as Pittsburgh won 26-24. However, Caesars Sports needed the Ravens.

"The customers won big on the last game of the regular season, on the biggest game of the day," Caesars vice president of trading Craig Mucklow said.

More on the weekend that was, as multiple oddsmakers recap NFL betting in Week 18, along with the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

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Sunday Night Lights

The Steelers were 4.5-point home underdogs to the Ravens in Sunday’s winner-take-all contest. Through three quarters, it was a typically defensive contest, with Pittsburgh up 13-10.

It stayed that way until midway through the fourth quarter. Then, in the final 8:42, 28 points went on the board, 14 for each team:

• Lamar Jackson 50-yard touchdown pass to Zay Flowers, putting the Ravens up 17-13.
• Kenneth Gainwell 2-yard TD run, giving the Steelers a 20-17 edge.
• Jackson-to-Flowers 64-yard TD pass, as Baltimore went ahead 24-20.
• Aaron Rodgers 26-yard TD pass to Calvin Austin III to put Pittsburgh up 26-24.

The Steelers missed that final extra point, with 55 seconds left. Sure enough, Jackson drove the Ravens into field goal range, but kicker Tyler Loop was wide right on a 44-yarder as time expired.

Caesars took a beating from bettors fully willing to back the Steelers, even when they were down 10-0 early in the second quarter.

"Pittsburgh was well-bet pregame and again on the comeback with in-play betting," Mucklow said. "The winning kick was delivered by the customers, in the best result of Week 18 for them."

On the flip side, BetMGM got some relief from the Steelers. Pregame, trading manager Tristan Davis said betting action was one-way traffic on the favored Ravens.

"So we got something out of the game. But the high scoring saw the bettors get something out of it, too," Davis said, noting the Over saw plenty of action, as it often does in prime-time standalone games.

Ravens-Steelers total closed at 42, and with just 23 points through nearly three-and-a-half quarters, it appeared the Under would get there. But the explosive final 8:42 made the Over a winner for the public betting masses.

Added SuperBook risk manager Casey Degnon: "It’s a small winning day for the book. We needed the Steelers outright."

Super Saturday, So-So Sunday

Oddsmakers pretty much unanimously praised the outcomes of the two Saturday NFL games. A key reason why: Both matchups saw little scoring.

The Buccaneers held off the Panthers 16-14, but Tampa failed to cover as a 3-point home favorite. Then the 49ers, a popular 2.5-point home underdog, lost to the Seahawks 13-3.

Carolina-Tampa had a total of 42.5, and the Seattle-San Francisco total was 48.5.

"Saturday was fantastic. Those were both great results," South Point sportsbook director Chris Andrews said. "For Sunday, we’re slightly ahead. The Chargers-Broncos game really killed us, and we needed Miami."

Los Angeles was a 15-point road underdog at Denver and lost 19-3 but nearly covered on its final drive. Two touchdown passes were negated, the first by penalty and the second on video review.

The Dolphins were also 15-point road ‘dogs vs. the Patriots, but came up far shorter than the Chargers in a 38-10 loss.

Caesars Sports head of football trading Joey Feazel echoed Andrews’ points.

"Saturday was good for the book," Feazel said. "Sunday was a mixed bag of results, with a lot of meaningless games taking place."

Feazel said bettors did well to the Giants’ 34-17 rout of the Cowboys, with New York a trendy 3-point home underdog. The public also got paid on the Bills’ 35-8 rout of the Jets and the Rams’ 37-20 win over the Cardinals.

Playoff Payoff

College Football Playoff quarterfinal odds saw two upsets, much to the chagrin of the public betting masses.

On New Year’s Eve, No. 10 Miami was a 7.5-point Cotton Bowl underdog to No. 2 Ohio State. But the Hurricanes ousted the defending national champion 24-14.

"A heap of parlays died with Ohio State losing. So 2025 went out with a bang for the book. It was one of the best college football results of the season for us," BetMGM trading manager Seamus Magee said.

Then on New Year’s night, No. 6 Ole Miss — a 6-point underdog — rallied for a thrilling 39-34 victory over No. 3 Georgia.

"We had a great New Year’s Day. Ole Miss outright killed a ton of parlays and really led to a great overall day for the house," Magee said.

Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He’s based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on X: @PatrickE_Vegas.

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