BANG FOR BUCS
Streaking Tampa solidifies status as future favorite
LAS VEGAS — Ten months after winning the Super Bowl, Tom Brady and the Buccaneers are back on top. It might not mean a lot, because the NFL pecking order constantly changes, but the search for a solid favorite has circled back to Tampa Bay.
Brady’s bunch appears to be past a mini midseason slump. The Buccaneers are 10-3 after a four-game winning streak and appear set to seize the NFC’s top seed with a weak schedule down the stretch.
BetMGM moved Tampa Bay back into the Super Bowl favorite’s role last week at 5/1 odds, and the number dipped to +425 this week. Kansas City (11/2) is the second choice, followed by Green Bay (7/1), New England (7/1) and Arizona (15/2).
“The Bucs need to be near the top,” said John Avello, sportsbook director at DraftKings, which lists Tampa Bay as the 5/1 title favorite. “Is there a dominant team out there right now? No. It’s still wide open, so it’s very good for futures. We’re still taking Tampa Bay money, and we’re taking Kansas City money again. The pot grows every week, and it’s a big Super Bowl handle. It’s still going to grow because we have a long way to go.”
One month ago, after Brady threw two interceptions in a loss at Washington, BetMGM elevated the Bills to 11/2 favorites on the Super Bowl futures board and dropped the Buccaneers to the 13/2 second choice. In a game of musical chairs, Buffalo is barely clinging to the seventh and last seed in the AFC playoff picture while falling to 16/1.
The Bills had an opportunity to change the storyline Sunday, when Josh Allen rallied Buffalo from a 24-3 halftime deficit to force overtime in Tampa. Brady had the answer, passing for 363 yards and two touchdowns, including a 58-yarder to Breshad Perriman for a 33-27 win.
“The Bills can’t finish,” Avello said. “You never want to give Brady a shot in overtime.”
The bad beat for the underdog getting 3.5 points is becoming a sore subject for Buffalo, which is 2-4 since the beginning of November with three losses by six points or fewer. The Bills’ sudden fall has coincided with the Patriots’ surprising rise to the top of the AFC.
Sunday of Week 14 was a bad time to be a ’dog bettor, with favorites winning 11 of 12 games and going 10-2 against the spread. While Avello said DraftKings avoided a “disaster,” it was an ugly scenario for most sportsbooks.
“The worst day in the history of Circa Sports for sure,” said Circa owner Derek Stevens, who was hoping for a “miracle” upset in the Bears-Packers nightcap and did not get his wish.
The Buccaneers, Chiefs, Cowboys and Packers were the most popular favorites to win and cover. Fading the worst teams in the league is a wise strategy at this point, and dead ’dogs such as the Giants, Jets, Jaguars and Texans played their hapless roles.
“It could have been a lot worse,” Westgate SuperBook vice president Jay Kornegay said. “We were fortunate it was one of the slowest Sundays of the year. If we had these results within the first five or six weeks, call a medic.”
VSiN handicapper Brady Kannon’s updated power rankings show the Buccaneers in the top spot, followed by the Cardinals, Patriots, Cowboys and Bills.
“The Tampa Bay offense is probably the best in football,” Kannon said. “The defense can be beaten through the air, but the Bucs get after the quarterback and they are excellent at stopping the run. With a healthy defensive secondary, they will be very difficult to beat because they are so good everywhere else.
“Buffalo’s comeback against Tampa Bay shows this team can still compete with anybody. However, the Bills’ lack of a running game is a big problem, especially late into the season and in the playoffs.”
Kannon ranks the Packers at No. 6, followed by the Rams, Chiefs, 49ers and Colts to round out his top 10. He’s holding futures wagers on the Buccaneers to win the NFC (+250) and the Patriots to win the AFC (22/1).
Week 15 kicks off Thursday with a high-profile AFC West matchup in Los Angeles, where the Chiefs are 3.5-point favorites against the Chargers. Patrick Mahomes is heating up, and the Kansas City defense has allowed an average of 10.8 points during a six-game win streak.
“The Chiefs are probably a top-three team right now,” Avello said. “The Packers are still in the mix, and maybe the Packers are a topfive team. I don’t know if the Patriots are in that mix.”
The Patriots, 9-4 and winners of seven straight, are 2-point underdogs at Indianapolis on Saturday night.
New England and Kansas City could be on a collision course in the AFC playoffs. If Aaron Rodgers’ fractured toe holds up, the Packers and Buccaneers could be headed for a rematch in the NFC title game.
DraftKings lists Brady as the -150 favorite to win league MVP. Of all the storylines this season, nothing would top a Buccaneers-Patriots showdown in the Super Bowl.
USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympics committee agreed Monday to give $380 million to victims of Larry Nassar’s sex abuse, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Gold medalists like Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney will receive money in the settlement after it was revealed that team doctor Nassar had been repeatedly abusing gymnasts for decades.
Nassar, 58, a former Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics doctor, has been accused of sexual abuse under the guise of medical treatment by more than 260 women. He will rot in prison until death with sentences totaling hundreds of years for criminal sexual conduct and child pornography convictions.
Ending a five-year legal battle, the agreement is the largest ever for sex abuse victims, according to the WSJ, which said TIG Insurance Company will pay a majority of the sum.
“We are pleased that these brave women are again recognized for coming forward and what they went through,” Jordan Merson — who represents multiple victims in the bankruptcy case — told The Post.
USA Gymnastics filed for bankruptcy in 2018, unable to deal with the volume of lawsuits the organization was facing. Former gymnasts have since ripped the organization for being complicit in the abuse. The FBI also came under fire for its role in the investigation when the DOJ’s inspector general found the bureau made mistakes that allowed Nassar to keep abusing dozens of girls before he was finally arrested.
“I believe without a doubt that the circumstances that led to my abuse and allowed it to continue are directly the result of the fact that the organizations created by Congress to oversee and protect me as an athlete, USA Gymnastics, and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, failed to do their jobs,” Biles said, alleging the organizations knew what was going on and did nothing.
“After telling my entire story of abuse to the FBI in the summer of 2015, not only the FBI did not report my abuse, but when they eventually documented my report 17 months later, they made entirely false claims about what I said,” Maroney said.
Attorney Jamie White, who represents dozens of Nassar’s victims, said the size of the settlement should set an example going forward.
“To the institutions that only care about maximizing profits while disregarding the human toll, we hope this sends a message: this is how much a cover-up costs,” White said in a statement.
Victims also praised the non-monetary parts of the settlement, which include board seats designated to survivors and implementing more safeguards to protect athletes.
“For years we have been demanding change from these organizations that failed us, and the institutional reforms that are part of this settlement will help ensure this abuse does not happen to young athletes in the future,” Tasha Schwikert Moser, a victim of Nassar’s, said.