Green Bay, bettors take huge beating
Before Green Bay lost to Tampa Bay in the 2020 NFC title game, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers called his future “a beautiful mystery.”
It was certainly a mystery how the reigning NFL MVP could play so poorly in Sunday’s season-opening 38-3 beatdown by the Saints. But the result was anything but beautiful for the countless bettors who backed the Packers as 3 ½-point favorites.
New Orleans, which opened as a 3-point favorite in May, delivered the biggest win on a monster day for Las Vegas sportsbooks as underdogs went 10-4 ATS with eight outright upsets.
“That’s a recipe for a very successful day,” Westgate SuperBook vice president Jay Kornegay said. “For those type of results to happen on opening day, it’s almost like a bookmaker’s dream.”
Green Bay was a favorite bettor’s nightmare as Rodgers threw for 133 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions for a QB rating of 13.6.
Saints QB Jameis Winston — two years removed from throwing 30 interceptions — fired five TD passes and no picks as New Orleans opened the postDrew Brees era in dominant fashion.
“I was really surprised that Green Bay garnered that much support. The Saints aren’t that bad,” Kornegay said. “Winston certainly has the capability of lighting it up. A lot of people were talking about Rodgers being back. But that entire team looked like they just got off the beach. They were not ready to play.”
Rodgers reportedly wanted out of Green Bay in the offseason, and Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said that drama likely had a negative effect on the team.
“It wasn’t about football in the offseason. It was more of a soap opera,” he said. “It probably weighed on the entire team.”
UPSET OF THE DAY
The Steelers pulled off the day’s biggest pointspread upset in their 23-16 victory over the Bills as 6 ½-point underdogs. Pittsburgh, which collapsed down the stretch last season after an 11-0 start, erased a 10-0 halftime deficit at Buffalo.
The Steelers gave the SuperBook one of its biggest (six-figure) wins in years.
SAN FRANCISCO BEAT
The 49ers closed as 9 ½-point favorites over the Lions after the line opened at 7 and were the clear ticket leaders at Station Casinos at 85%.
Any San Francisco bettor who laid 8 ½ or more suffered a bad beat when Detroit — which trailed 41-17 late in the game — scored two TDs and two 2-point conversions in the final 1:53 to get a backdoor cover in a 41-33 loss.
ROCKY ROOKIE ROAD
All three rookie starting QBs lost straight up and ATS as Trevor Lawrence threw three interceptions in the Jaguars’ (-3) 37-21 defeat at Houston; Zach Wilson was sacked six times in the Jets’ (+3 ½) 19-14 loss at Carolina; and the Patriots (-3 ½) lost 17-16 to Miami in Mac Jones’ debut.
The Panthers, Seahawks (-3, 28-16 over the Colts), Broncos (-3, 27-13 over the Giants) and Rams (-9, 34-14 over the Bears) were the only favorites to cover. Unders went 9-5.