Unlike last week when the opening lines appeared to signify some kind of balance between oddsmakers and the betting public, who were in agreement with most spreads early in the betting week, that’s not the case in the early going of Week 6 games. We’ve seen a number of minor shifts, which is more an indication of one team getting a bulk of the early action. As is always the case, things tend to even out as the week progresses.
With 11 of the 15 games on the Week 6 NFL regular season docket seeing some kind of movement early on, the NFL betting lines have already proven to be chaotic. Five of the games have seen a shift of at least 1-point and one game line has already jumped the fence. Carolina opened as a 1-point favorite against the Skins before the spread was wagered to the same amount in the other direction. The biggest shift so far is in favor of the Titans, who opened as a pick ‘em for their contest with Baltimore. Within hours they were sitting on 3-points. I guess the betting public liked Baltimore’s loss to Cleveland last week a lot more than they enjoyed Tennessee’s defeat in Buffalo.
Let’s take a look at a few games that have had line movement in the last few days.
Week 6 Major Line Moves
Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans
Opening Line: Pick ‘em
Current Line: Ravens -3
It looks like the luck of the Titans has run out and the betting masses are fading the home team in this matchup. Tennessee had no business beating Houston, Jacksonville and Philadelphia in its last three outings and doing so gave backers a nice payout, and also a false sense of how good the team actually is. If the Titans were truly a contender, they wouldn’t have lost outright to Buffalo as a 6-point road favorite last week, especially after seeing what the Bills did to the Vikings a few weeks prior.
The game opened as a pick ‘em and the smart money came to play on the visiting Ravens. Though the majority of public wagers are backing the Titans, the line blew up to Baltimore -3 in less than 24 hours. Neither team looked good last week, but there is a higher ceiling in Baltimore. Tennessee hasn’t done much offensively and facing the Ravens isn’t going to help them break out of their slumber.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Dallas Cowboys
Opening Line: Jaguars -1.5
Current Line: Jaguars -3
The Jags may have stumbled out of the elite category among NFL teams with their loss to Kansas City last week, which was their second in three games. But at least they were mentioned among the league’s best. That hasn’t been the case for the Cowboys and they have a long way to go to even get close. Excitement over the Jags was tempered a bit with another dull performance from Blake Bortles, who was responsible for five turnovers against the Chiefs. The Jags opened as a 1.5-point favorite against Dallas but was swarmed with three-quarters of the early action, prompting a quick rise to Jacksonville -3.
The squares are counting on Jacksonville’s No. 1 ranked overall defense to handcuff the Cowboys, who have Ezekiel Elliott as their only option when possessing the football. Dallas will be hard pressed to reach its average of just over 20 points per game and they likely won’t get help from Bortles like the Chiefs did last week.
Carolina Panthers at Washington Redskins
Opening Line: Panthers -1
Current Line: Redskins -1
It’s hard to imagine anyone backing the Redskins after their Monday night flop in New Orleans. But it’s only one game and recent form suggests the Skins are in for a better effort on Sunday. The line jumped the fence in this one with the Skins going from an opening 1-point dog to 1-point They’ve traded wins and losses all season and a week removed from an early bye should have them in game form. At least that’s what Jay Gruden is hoping.
Carolina got a gift last week thanks to the leg of Graham Gano, who nailed a 63-yard field goal at the buzzer to avoid an embarrassing loss to the Giants. After playing three of their first four games at home, the Panthers hit the road this week looking for better results. They lost their only away matchup to Atlanta in Week 2, failing to cover the spread while playing below the closing total.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go.
Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
