Tag: Underdogs

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes refuses to be considered an underdog in Super Bowl LVIII

#Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes told reporters that he refuses to be considered an underdog against the #49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.

The early betting lines on many charts favor the San Francisco 49ers over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII. The high-powered 49ers have earned their reputation as one of the best teams in the league all season as a top seed, while the Chiefs struggled at times during the season only to show resilience as the defending champions to return to the big game this year.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has always entered every game with confidence that he will overcome any obstacle or opponent. The reigning league MVP is well aware of the year his Chiefs have encountered to get to this moment and shared his thoughts on being labeled an underdog during his Monday Super Bowl Opening Night podium press conference.

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“I think you approach it like any other game; I never feel like the underdog,” Mahomes told reporters. “I always feel like we have a chance to win the football game, and that’s how we approach every single game. We were underdogs in the last Super Bowl, so all you can do is just have that same mindset of just going out there, playing your best football, and hoping that you end up with a win.”

Mahomes and the Chiefs faced some doubters before last year’s Super Bowl victory over the Philadelphia Eagles but are in for a different level of adversity. The emergence of many Chiefs haters heading into Sunday and the West Coast favorable San Francisco fanbase will make Allegiant Stadium, the home of their arch-rival Las Vegas Raiders, feel like a hostile road game.

Steelers vs Browns: Pittsburgh 4-point road underdogs this week

Pittsburgh heads to Cleveland this week as underdogs.

The Pittsburgh Steelers went 2-1 on their latest three-game homestand to improve to 6-3 on the season. This week Pittsburgh gets back on the road for a huge AFC North showdown with the 6-3 Cleveland Browns.

The oddsmakers at BetMGM have the Steelers as four-point underdogs after the Browns pulled off a huge 33-31 win over the Baltimore Ravens last week. The win helps the Steelers in the standings as Pittsburgh currently has a win over both the Browns and Ravens.

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For Cleveland, much will depend on the health of quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson injured his ankle against the Ravens but was only out of the game briefly. Nevertheless, reports indicate the team is going to run some tests on the injured ankle given the injury issues Watson has had this season and aren’t going to commit to whether or not he can play this week.

The Steelers and Browns squared off in Week Two of the season with Pittsburgh getting the 26-22 win. The Steelers offense was completely ineffective and depended on an injury to Browns running back Nick Chubb and two defensive touchdowns to secure the win.

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5 candidates to pull off the next massive upset at the 2022 World Cup

Which nation is on upset watch as the World Cup continues to surprise?

It feels pretty safe to say no one really expected Saudi Arabia or Japan to pull off massive World Cup upsets on consecutive days.

As Saudi Arabia (+1800) celebrated their historic victory over title-favorite Argentina with a national holiday Wednesday, Japan (+600) was putting the finishing touches on a bonkers comeback against a Germany club that got a bit too comfortable in the second half of its tournament opener.

So let’s trust that the World Cup operates by the rule of three and look at some of the upcoming matches to see which long-shot can pull off the next stunning upset.

Fortunately — or unfortunately — for bettors, there are plenty of options.

The surging Vikings shockingly open as home underdogs to Dallas after incredible win in Buffalo

The win at Buffalo didn’t do much to sway oddsmakers about Minnesota’s chances in Week 11

Congratulations to the Minnesota Vikings.

On Sunday they knocked off a Super Bowl contending Buffalo Bills team on the road thanks to some chaotic football in the final two minutes and Justin Jefferson’s candidate for the Greatest Catch in Football History.

Minnesota’s reward? A big ole shrug from oddsmakers.

Despite becoming the talk of the NFL on Monday with a rather pristine 8-1 record, the Vikings (+1) opened as home underdogs in Week 11 when the Dallas Cowboys visit Minnesota.

It’s rare an division-leading team gets to play the “no one believes in us” card the game after a season-defining win, but the Vikings have found a way.

Early betting tracked by Action Network shows the Vikings getting 58 percent of all bets against the spread but 68 percent of the money wagered is backing the Cowboys to cover.

For what it’s worth, Dallas is 6-3 against the spread this season while Minnesota is 4-4-1, and while the game isn’t in primetime, it will get the afternoon time slot on CBS, making it widely available. The spread would also seem to suggest oddsmakers believe Buffalo might not be as good as previously thought and Dallas might not be as average as it looked earlier in the year—even after an overtime loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 10.

After all, the Cowboys were a fourth down away from holding a 7-2 record and the Vikings are a very fortunate end-zone fumble away from entering this matchup with the same amount of wins and losses.

Maybe these teams are more evenly matched than many were willing to admit on Monday morning.

Oddsmakers, as usual, were just getting ahead of the game.

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Lions will likely snap the NFL’s longest and saddest underdog streak against the Commanders

Detroit holds the longest streak of games played as an underdog.

Even after a loss in their season opener, things are looking up for the Detroit Lions after a long, long, long time of being down.

The Lions are currently 2.5-point favorites in their Week 2 matchup against the Washington Commanders. If the spread holds in their favor, it’ll snap a league-leading streak of 24 straight games they’ve played as underdogs, according to ESPN.

The Lions haven’t been favored in a game since playing the Carolina Panthers in Week 11 of the 2020 season, which is really depressing to expect to lose that many games in a row. I mean, Super Bowl champion Matthew Stafford was still their quarterback.

Fans will hope the Carolina game isn’t a preview of what’s to come, though, as the Lions lost 20-0 the last time they were favored. After playing a conference favorite competitively in Week 1, they should give the 1-0 Commanders a good game.

As for those pesky Panthers, they’ll likely bookend another streak Sunday when they visit the New York Giants, who hold the second-longest run of consecutive games as underdogs. New York is currently favored by 2.5 points after playing 15 straight games as underdogs.

The last time the Giants were expected to win was Week 3 of last season when they lost by three points to the Atlanta Falcons. Coming off a huge upset over the Tennessee Titans, it’s possible the Giants are due for a letdown ahead of a Monday night battle with the Cowboys next week, but they should beat Carolina.

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Ranking the 10 NFL Week 1 home underdogs by most likely to win, from Bears (LOL) to Vikings

10 teams open the season as home underdogs, including the Super Bowl champs.

Out of 16 matchups on the slate for Week 1 of the NFL season, an incredible 10 games feature home teams considered underdogs by the sportsbooks.

Whether that was intentional scheduling by the NFL can’t be said for sure, but it does make for an interesting slate of openers with the potential for several upsets.

It also makes for a very difficult week of picks for bettors, because we know more than one of these home dogs is likely to find a way to win. But which team(s) will it be? I ranked all 10 of them by most likely to win, starting with No. 10.

Despite big win, Packers open as slight road underdogs to Chiefs in Week 9

The Packers opened as 2.5-point underdogs to the Chiefs in Week 9, per @tipico.

A signature win and a mini-bye week weren’t enough to make the Green Bay Packers a road favorite over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9.

Matt LaFleur’s team opened as a 2.5-point underdog to the Chiefs, according to Tipico Sportsbook.

The over/under is set at 55.5 points, currently the highest of Week 9. Tipico is expecting fireworks from Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes.

The Packers took down the previously undefeated Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night despite being a 6.5-point underdog, extending the team’s win streak to seven games, while the struggling Chiefs still need to face the New York Giants on Monday night.

It’s possible the Packers will return All-Pros Davante Adams and David Bakhtiari for Sunday’s showdown at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Packers have won both games as a road underdog this season, beating both the Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers away from home. Green Bay has also covered the spread in seven straight games.

The Chiefs are 2-5 against the spread overall and 1-2 straight up in their last three games, but Kansas City is a big favorite to beat the Giants on Monday night.

The Packers and Chiefs haven’t met since 2019, when Mahomes didn’t play and LaFleur’s team escaped Kansas City with a primetime win.

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Texas slight underdogs on the road against No. 16 Baylor

For just the second time this season, Texas has opened as an underdog.

After taking a week off with a bye, Texas is set to face off against their third consecutive ranked opponent in No. 16 Baylor. Traveling just north to Waco, Saturday’s result is a huge one for Steve Sarkisian.

Win and everything from the previous three weeks somewhat goes away. The best way to fix problems is by winning. As crazy as it may sound, a Big 12 championship game appearance is still possible.

Lose and things could get pretty ugly, pretty quickly. An 8-4 season was not out of the equation coming into the year but was seen as the worst possible scenario. Baylor winning would present that as the best-case scenario.

Unluckily, Tipico Sportsbook sees Baylor as the favorite. Texas has opened as an underdog for just the second time this season at 2.5 points.

Just like their record on the field, Texas is 4-3 against the spread so far this season.

Check out the full game odds for this season here:

Line: Baylor -2.5

Over/Under: 61.5

Money Line: Baylor -155 Texas +125

All Betting Lines are Courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook

You can watch Texas face off against No. 16 Baylor at 11 a.m. CST on ABC.

Visit our free to play game lobby at Daily Ticket, Powered by Tipico Sportsbook

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Oklahoma opens as favorites over Texas in Red River Shootout

Texas-Oklahoma always seems to be a close one!

Name a big-time rivalry in college football. Alabama-Auburn, Michigan-Ohio State, Florida-Georgia. The week leading into the game, most people say “throw out the record books, this game is close no matter what.” Most of the time, those people are lying. Plenty of blowouts happen on a yearly basis.

The Red River Shootout is different. The Red River Shootout actually does throw out the record books. The Red River Shootout is close no matter what.

Seven consecutive games at the Cotton Bowl have been decided by a touchdown or less. Texas’ last double-digit win came in 2008 during the famous 45-35 game. Oklahoma’s was in 2012 in a 63-21 drubbing.

We may not know who is going to win on Saturday, but there is an excellent chance it’s a nail-biter in the fourth quarter. Tipico Sportsbook agrees as well, only favoring the Sooners by 3.5. The overall record may not be the best, but Texas has covered in seven of the last 10 Red River Shootouts.

So who is the real winner?

Check out the full game odds for this season here:

Line: Oklahoma -3.5

Over/Under: 63.5

Money Line: Oklahoma -170 Texas +135

All Betting Lines are Courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook

Steve Sarkisian and Lincoln Riley will be facing off the first time in the Cotton Bowl for what should be an offensive showdown. 63.5 points may intrigue some people with two top 15 scoring offenses set to take the field.

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Chiefs open as underdogs vs. Chargers in Week 17

The Kansas City Chiefs are back home in pursuit of a 15-1 record in Week 17.

The Kansas City Chiefs (14-1) are set to be underdogs against the Los Angeles Chargers (6-9) at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 17.

Betting lines from BetMGM for Week 17 have been revealed and the Chiefs are 3.5-point underdogs to the Chargers. It’s the first time they haven’t been favorites since Week 3 against the Baltimore Ravens. They were also 3.5-point underdogs during that game and won by 14 points.

The current money line is at +150 for Kansas City and -175 for Los Angeles. The over/under point total is set at 43.5 points. The Chiefs have an implied win probability of 40% in this matchup.

It took a while for the oddsmakers to figure out this game because the Chiefs very well could rest most, if not all of their starters in Week 17. Andy Reid confirmed on Monday that the team would rest some players, but he didn’t go into much detail beyond that. He did say that Chad Henne would be the starting quarterback if Patrick Mahomes didn’t play on Sunday. That has clearly influenced the betting line for this game.

The Chargers have already been eliminated from playoff contention and they’re playing for bragging rights at this point. They’ll roll with rookie QB Justin Herbert at quarterback and they’re expected to get WR Keenan Allen back from injury this week. They should have the pieces in place to beat a team comprised of backup and reserve players.

This game could look a lot like Week 17 of 2013 when Chase Daniel led a group of reserve Chiefs players against the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers won that game 27-24, but Daniel and the backups made a valiant effort, nearly winning the game.

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