NFL betting recap: Ravens win and canopy after Lamar Jackson harm report debacle 

Issues have been bleak for the Baltimore Ravens headed into their Week 7 bye. Tremendous Bowl co-favorites coming into the season, the Ravens had misplaced and didn't cowl in 5 of their first six video games, giving them the worst document towards the unfold within the NFL via six weeks.

However there was a lightweight on the finish of the tunnel. Two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson, who had missed two video games on account of a hamstring harm, was being rumored to return following the bye, a notion backed up by the truth that he practiced in a restricted capability on Wednesday and Thursday, earlier than logging a full observe on Friday to present him a questionable tag heading into the weekend, per Baltimore's harm report.

Oddsmakers — and a few revered bettors — appeared to imagine Jackson could be again, too. The Ravens opened as 6.5-point house favorites over the Chicago Bears and grew to -7.5 on Friday at ESPN BET. As much as that time, roughly two-thirds of the bets and cash wagered was on the underdog Bears plus the factors. Elsewhere, although, sportsbooks such because the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas and Caesars reported receiving bets on the Ravens from sharp bettors.

Then Saturday arrived and threw a large wrench into the whole lot. That morning, stories emerged that Jackson had, in reality, led the scout crew offense throughout Friday's observe, indicating he wouldn't begin Sunday's sport. Baltimore retroactively modified Jackson's Friday participation to restricted earlier than ruling him out for the sport and saying that Tyler Huntley would begin.

The sportsbooks' responses have been swift. ESPN BET initially moved the Ravens to -3.5, took that again as much as -4.5, however then got here all the way in which all the way down to -2.5, the place it remained going into kickoff of Sunday's sport.

Oddsmakers on the SuperBook have been shocked on Saturday when Jackson went from questionable to out. All through the week, sharp bettors, recognized to have good info, had been betting on the Ravens on the SuperBook, vice chairman John Murray informed ESPN.

“After we noticed these wagers, we by no means would have anticipated him to be out this weekend,” Murray mentioned.

Joey Feazel, who oversees the soccer odds for Caesars Sportsbook, says they took a wager from an influential bettor on the Ravens -6.5 and pushed the road as much as -7 on Friday, however total, the betting curiosity on the sport was decrease than regular. Solely the Miami Dolphins-Atlanta Falcons sport attracted much less cash than Bears-Ravens at Caesars.

“We remained cautious all through the week in anticipation of potential information developments, notably with the Ravens slated for a [Week 9] Thursday evening look, the place a return from Jackson all the time appeared extra possible,” Feazel informed ESPN. “This warning was additional bolstered by our buying and selling crew's prior experiences; every time we leaned towards the Ravens this season, the outcomes have confirmed pricey.”

Chris Andrews, sportsbook director on the South Level on line casino in Las Vegas, mentioned the abrupt change to Jackson's standing led to “loads of potential harm.”

“I had a man make an enormous moneyline wager on the Bears earlier than the information broke,” Andrews informed ESPN. “Then, a number of [bettors] took larger factors than they have been entitled to. However the sport wound up OK for us, as soon as the Ravens gained and lined.”

In the long run, Jackson-less Baltimore made a press release, beating Chicago 30-16 to cowl the unique opening quantity. With a lot of public cash backing the Bears earlier than and after the information, it seemingly labored out high quality for the books. However erratic harm reporting undoubtedly ruffled some feathers.

ESPN's Jamison Henley reported Saturday that the league workplace will examine the Ravens' dealing with of the scenario.

In 2023, the Atlanta Falcons have been fined $75,000 and then-head coach Arthur Smith was fined $25,000 after RB Bijan Robinson barely performed in a Week 7 sport on account of sickness. The Falcons by no means up to date their harm report, thus violating the principles.

The controversy comes whereas harm reporting is underneath elevated scrutiny after two NBA gamers have been accused of manipulating their efficiency by eradicating themselves from video games to profit their associates' bets. It stays to be seen what the implications shall be within the Ravens' scenario, however the present anxiousness round accidents and sports activities betting is as excessive because it has ever been.

Odds & Ends

• The NFL celebrated its annual Nationwide Tight Ends Day on Sunday, and bettors leaned into the vacation by making George Kittle, Tyler Warren and Dallas Goedert, respectively, the most-bet anytime landing scorers by tickets and deal with at ESPN BET. Kittle and Goedert got here via for the bettors, with the latter discovering the top zone twice, whereas Warren was unable to document a TD.

• 9 of 11 NFL video games this week went over the overall, forward of the Sunday evening sport.

• Sunday was an enormous day for the AFC East. The New England Patriots (-6.5) prolonged their cowl streak to 5 video games with a 32-13 win over the Cleveland Browns, whereas the Buffalo Payments (-7.5) took care of enterprise with a 40-9 win and canopy over the Carolina Panthers. In the identical early afternoon window, the Dolphins (+6.5 at Atlanta Falcons) and New York Jets (+5.5 at Cincinnati Bengals) acquired large outright underdog wins, with the latter being the Jets' first win of the season.

• The Jets have been so long as +2000 on the reside cash line at ESPN BET earlier than making a comeback for the win, and it ended because the crew's largest upset victory since Week 6 of 2023, per ESPN Analysis.

• The Bengals' loss hit arduous for the 20% of gamers who picked them in ESPN's Eliminator Problem, essentially the most of any crew in Week 8. Within the $1,000 entry Circa Survivor pool, the Falcons (32.9%) and Bengals (18.2%) have been the second- and third-most chosen groups, respectively.

• In the meantime, 4 entrants didn't make their picks earlier than the deadline in Circa Survivor, immediately eliminating them from the competitors. The implied worth per entry going into the week was $4,446, per Circa.

• With their loss and missed cowl, the Browns are 0-9 ATS of their final 9 highway video games, tying the longest such NFL streak within the final 40 seasons, per ESPN Analysis.

• NBA: Fourteen of the primary 16 video games of the NBA season went over the overall and have been 23-10 coming into Sunday's video games. At 69.7%, it is the best share of overs to start out a season within the final 35 years. (ESPN's NBA odds database goes again via the 1990-91 season).

• MLB: The Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday have been listed -185 favorites over the Toronto Blue Jays in Sport 3 of the World Sequence. That is the most important favourite for a Sport 3 of the World Sequence since 2019, when the Houston Astros have been -225 favorites over the Washington Nationals.