Anyone who follows the NFL knows by now that there are only two undefeated teams left: the Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings.
Gamblers are not that interested in that. For them, there is only one team that is still perfect.
Minnesota is the only team to cover the spread in all of its games this season. The Chiefs are a very good 3-1-1 against the spread, via Action Network’s rankings.
Also, there are no winless teams in the actual rankings or against the spread. Every team has won this season and every team has covered the spread at least once.
Here’s a look at Week 6 of the NFL season from a betting perspective, with all the odds from BetMGM:
Thursday night: 49ers got Seattle’s number
The San Francisco 49ers are 5-0 against the Seattle Seahawks the last two seasons, counting the playoffs, and neither game has been that close. Here are the winning margins from the five games: 20, 8, 18, 18, 12. In Seattle, in San Francisco, it didn’t matter. The 49ers have dominated.
Perhaps some will see the 49ers with a 2-3 record and believe they are vulnerable, but two of the losses were flukes (the Rams and Cardinals had wild fourth quarter comebacks) and the other loss came to the undefeated Vikings . . Seattle lost to the Giants last week, their 3-0 start seemingly buoyed by an easy schedule. And now it faces an angry 49ers team that doesn’t want to drop to 2-3. The 49ers are favorites by 3.5 points.
Early London Game: Are the Bears and Jaguars on the right track?
The Chicago Bears have won two in a row. The Jacksonville Jaguars finally got their first win of the season last week.
Which team will keep the momentum going? Chicago is a two-point favorite. The Jaguars’ win over the Colts last week wasn’t all that impressive, as they gave up 34 points on a Joe Flacco charge and it came down to the final seconds. But they are quite familiar with London, making it their second home. Knowing how to handle an unusual week of travel helps. We’ll see if that can overcome some of their other shortcomings.
Surprising rule of the week: Saints don’t get too many points
Derek Carr was injured Monday night and will be replaced by fifth-round rookie Spencer Rattler. That’s not great news for the New Orleans Saints, who have lost three straight games. Neither is the halftime difference: they played Monday night, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers got extra rest after playing last Thursday night. And despite that, the Buccaneers are only 3.5 points favorites.
Teams often rally around the backup quarterback in his first game, and the Saints are at home against a Buccaneers team whose routine was disrupted by Hurricane Milton. And Rattler was an interesting late-round pick who played well in the preseason. Still, it’s a lot to ask of Rattler to keep the Saints afloat in his first NFL snaps.
Player Prop of the Week: Tank Dell receiving yards
The Houston Texans will have to adjust to life without Nico Collins, who went on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. It’s time for Dell to take the offensive.
Houston’s crowded receiver room has sidelined Dell this season. He has just 137 yards in four games played this season. That makes his total of 55.5 a bit daunting. But Dell has good underlying stats, he has fantastic talent, a great quarterback throwing him the ball and there are plenty of targets to go around without Collins in the lineup. The Texans face the New England Patriots this week and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Dell breaks through in 2024.
Interesting underdog: Washington Commanders
The gambling market is not completely sold to the Commanders. They are 6.5-point underdogs this week at the Baltimore Ravens. This is by far the biggest test for Jayden Daniels yet, and oddsmakers have him and the Commanders proving something.
But what if the commanders are legitimate? The offense has efficiency numbers that rival some of the best offenses in recent history. Daniels is creeping up in the MVP odds, and for good reason. A competitive matchup against the Ravens would legitimize Washington’s start. We may look back and wonder how the 2024 Commanders could get close to a touchdown against any opponent.
Sunday night: are the Giants good?
The New York Giants started the season with low expectations, but they weren’t bad. The losses for the Vikings and Commanders don’t look that bad anymore. They won at the Browns, kept it competitive against the Cowboys and won at the Seahawks without star rookie Malik Nabers. That’s not a bad start to the season. Daniel Jones has started the season quite well.
Compare that to the Cincinnati Bengals. They are 1-4. If you want to look at the positive, the Bengals’ four losses total by 15 points. They just haven’t won close games yet. The offense has also come to life. But do you trust them to go on the road as 3.5-point away favourites?
Monday night: What’s next for the Jets?
How often will you see a team fire its coach and less than a week later play for first place in its division? The Jets are 2-3 and just fired Robert Saleh, but will be in first place of the AFC East if they beat the Buffalo Bills on Monday night. The Bills are a road favorite by 2.5 points.
It’s hard to know what to make of the Jets after a trip to London and a week of chaos. The bills also have their problems. They are in a rare stretch of three games in a row, and there hasn’t been a single easy game. They’ve faced the Ravens and Texans and now get a talented but underwhelming Jets team. If you think the Jets will use Saleh’s shot as a wake-up call and beat a tired Bills team, this is a chance to get them as underdogs.
