Early Start Time for London NFL Popular with Bettors
Bovada Staff : October 28, 2014
The NFL wanted to see just how popular it has become by starting a Week 8 NFL game from Wembley Stadium in London at 9:30 AM ET. Would people get up that early to watch the Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons play? It turns out that the early start time did not deter viewers. You can expect to see more kickoffs at that time in future seasons.
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The Sunday morning game was the most-wagered non-prime-time match of Week 8. Clearly bettors wanted to get off to a good start on Sunday. However, the result ended up being better for the book. Detroit won a stunner 22-21 as Matt Prater kicked of 48-yard field goal at the gun following a miss on a 43-yarder. A delay of game penalty on the Lions gave him a second chance. The Falcons led 21-0 at the half, tying for the largest blown halftime lead in Atlanta history. Bettors fared well on the moneyline. The Lions were -170 favorites and took over 61% of the action.
As has been the case all season, the Thursday night game took the most action overall. Bettors won with Denver beating San Diego 35-21. The Broncos were 8.5-point home favorites and took about 54% of the lean. Denver took more action than any team on the moneyline, more than 75% at -380. The over 52 points took a more than 71% of the lean.
The top player props for the book and bettors came from that Denver-San Diego match. Bettors won when Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers went over 22.5 completions (he had 30), and when Bolts running back Branden Oliver went over 2.5 receptions (he had seven). The book won when Rivers went under 270.5 passing yards (252), and when Oliver went under 57.5 rushing yards (36).
THURSDAY NIGHT: Week 9 will kick off with first place in the NFC South on the line as the Saints visit the Panthers. Carolina opened as a 2.5-point favorite, and there will be live betting at the book. CBS will no longer show Thursday night games. It will be shown solely on the NFL Network going forward.
Carolina lost 13-9 at home to Seattle on Sunday in what turned out to be Week 8’s lowest-scoring game. Seattle won it on a 23-yard touchdown pass with 47 seconds left. Cam Newton struggled in a big way for the Panthers, completing only 12 of 27 for 121 yards with an interception and fumble. Carolina had 266 total yards on offense to fall to 3-4-1.
The Saints improved to 3-4 with a 44-23 rout of former NFC betting favorite Green Bay. That was a big win for the book as Green Bay was a 1-point road underdog with over 66% of the action. However, bettors got their top total win of Week 8 there with more than 81% leaning over 56 points. The NFC South is the only division without a team above .500.
Drew Brees threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns vs. the Packers. It was his fourth straight game of at least 300 yards and three touchdowns against Green Bay. New Orleans also got a big game from running back Mark Ingram, who carried 24 times for 172 yards and a score. The Saints are unbeaten at home and haven’t lost there with Coach Sean Payton on the sideline since 2010. They also have won 12 straight home prime-time games.
The problem for Saints backers is that Thursday’s game is in Charlotte. New Orleans is 0-4 on the road this season.
New Orleans and Carolina split last year, with the Panthers edging the Saints for the NFC South title. No team has ever repeated in that division. The Panthers won the home game 17-13 in Week 16 on a Newton 14-yard touchdown pass with 23 seconds left.
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