What looked like an easy payday for Ravens’ bettors turned into a nightmare on Sunday when the Arizona Cardinals pulled off a late game surge to cover the spread, ending the game in a 31-24 loss to Baltimore.
The Ravens held a 24-7 lead early in the fourth quarter, and it looked as though Vegas would have to pay out as Baltimore was the clear favorite at -9.5. ‘However, the Cardinals would respond shortly after with a nine play, 75-yard drive, and tight end Trey McBride would score a 17-yard touchdown. Quarterback Joshua Dobbs would rush the end zone for a successful two-point conversion.
Gus Edwards would give bettors the reassurance they needed with his third and final rushing touchdown to give the Ravens a 31-15 lead with under three minutes remaining.
Then, the Cardinals did the unexpected and responded with a meaningless touchdown by Marquise Brown with just a little over a minute remaining. A successful onside kick recovery allowed Arizona to cover the spread with a 47-yard field goal.
“After a bleak 1 p.m. slate that saw the Cowboys roll, the Vikings cover and the Eagles stage a second half comeback things finally turned in the sportsbooks favor with the Broncos stunning the Chiefs with an outright win and the plucky Cardinals fighting to the very end to secure a surprising cover,” Pat Morrow, head oddsmaker at Bovada, told Fox News Digital.
The Kansas City Chiefs were no kinder to sports bettors, suffering a 24-9 loss to the unsuspecting Denver Broncos.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes battled through an illness, but it was the five turnovers and Denver’s stout defense that ultimately led to one of the season’s biggest upsets.
“The Chiefs’ loss was massive to break up the escalating parlay liability we had accumulated throughout the week,” Morrow added. “They also had the majority of teaser money on them of all teams in action. While it appears that Mahomes may have been suffering from the flu while playing in Denver’s freezing climate, we hope he and the Chiefs are able to ‘Shake It Off’ before next week’s game against the Dolphins.”
Sunday’s game in Frankfurt is expected to be a close matchup, with the Chiefs currently favored by -2.5.
