Week 5 betting by the numbers: NFL point spreads tightest in Super Bowl era - ESPN

It has been a rough start to the NFL season for the American betting public. However, Week 5 brought change, a bevy of short point spreads and a shift in the public's fortunes.

Week 5 began with a string of eight straight favorites winning outright. Seven of them covered the spread, and Baltimore Ravens RB Derrick Henry and New York Jets WR Garrett Wilson — the two most-bet players to score touchdowns at ESPN BET — both found the end zone. After the early seven-game slate wrapped up on Sunday, sportsbooks were in a hole.

«The morning games were ugly,» said Westgate SuperBook executive director John Murray, noting his shop's biggest needs on the day (the Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals) all failed to deliver for the house.

The Bengals squandered a 10-point fourth-quarter lead and lost 41-38 in overtime to the heavily bet Ravens, who covered as 2.5-point favorites. On Sunday morning, Baltimore had attracted more bets and more money than any other team at DraftKings. The Bills also lost in overtime, falling 23-20 to the Houston Texans as 1.5-point underdogs. Overtime was not necessary, and the spread wasn't in question for long in the Browns' 34-13 loss to the Washington Commanders.

«This certainly wasn't our day in the NFL,» Murray lamented ahead of the night game between the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Sunday could have been even worse for sportsbooks, but the big underdog trend barked again in the afternoon games, with both the Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants pulling upsets as 7.5-point 'dogs. There have been nine underdogs of 7.5 points or more this season. They are 8-1 against the spread and 7-2 straight up. The biggest favorite on the board has lost outright in each of the