If you like upsets, Week 3 of the 2019 NFL season was full of them. Six dogs showed their bite upsetting the favorite, including the Detroit Lions who remain unbeaten after their win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Yes, the Lions are 2-0-1. Only three of Week 3’s straight up winners didn’t cover.
After two weeks of holding penalty after holding penalty, NFL officials dialed it back. The fewer holding calls had a direct impact on the Totals in Week 3. For those who want to know how to be a bookie, that is a piece of information that could help separate you from other pay per head services.
UPSETS
As mentioned, there were six upsets in Week 3, the biggest of which involved a rookie quarterback in New York. Daniel Jones, the sixth pick in this year’s NFL draft, stepped in and took over for veteran Eli Manning.
All Jones did was lead a fourth-quarter scoring drive and cap it off with a 7-yard touchdown run with just 1:16 to play to give the Giants their first victory of the season. Tampa Bay, the Giants opponent, was a 5-point favorite.
The other big upset in Week 3 was New Orleans heading to Seattle without Drew Brees. The Saints were 5-point underdogs but were never really challenged by the Seahawks. The 33-27 final score was not indicative of how the Saints dominated the game.
The Lions got a 100-yard kickoff return in a 27-24 upset of the Eagles. Philadelphia entered the game as a 4-point favorite. Houston won as a 3-point dog. Carolina beat Arizona as a 2.5-point dog and Jacksonville beat rival Tennessee on Thursday night. The Titans were favored by 1.5.
GOT YOU COVERED
Yes, Miami is still awful.
The Dolphins are so bad they were giving 22 points to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. With Ezekiel Elliott in the lineup, the Cowboys won 31-6 to cover. The Patriots were not as fortunate. New England was a 21-point favorite over the ailing New York Jets. Leading by 23 in the fourth quarter, the Jets Jamal Adams stepped in front of backup QB Jarrett Stidham’s pass and returned it 61 yards for a touchdown. Final score, 30-14.
Along with the Patriots, Buffalo and San Francisco were both straight up winners but failed to cover. The Bills were 6-point favorites over Cincinnati and won 21-17. San Francisco beat the hapless Pittsburgh Steelers 24-20 also as 6-point favorites.
The Vikings were 9-point favorites against Oakland. Running back Dalvin Cook rushed for over 100 yards for the third consecutive week and Minnesota won 34-14. NFC North foe Green Bay also covered as 7-point favorites against Denver. The Packers sacked Broncos QB Joe Flacco six times and won 27-16.
Indianapolis, Kansas City, the Rams, and the Bears all covered as well.
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MORE BAD NEWS FOR FANTASY OWNERS
If you thought Week 2 was bad for injuries, Week 3 wasn’t much better. The biggest injury news involves New England WR Julian Edelman. The veteran left in the second quarter of the Patriots win over the Jets. He has an apparent rib injury and will be day to day so fantasy owners will have to pay close attention.
The other big one was the Giants Saquon Barkley. The running back went down with an ankle injury and did not return. It was later diagnosed that Barkley suffered a high ankle sprain. He will be out four to eight weeks, which will leave many fantasy owners scrambling.
TOTAL TRENDS
With fewer holding calls in Week 3, NFL offenses were able to open up a little and put more points on the board. In Week 2, the Under hit in 13 of the 16 games. Minus the flags in Week 3, 10 games saw the Over hit. Moving forward, this is something a price per head sports book can track to offer great service to its bettors.
CONTEST UPDATES
No perfect records remain in the Westgate Supercontest. Week 3 left a blemish on a few of the leaders’ records. The top-5 is all tied up with 14-1 marks. TUCO, THE801CREW, PHATCAT, ER@JAR, and CHAMPION ICEMAN sit at the top of the leader board. Both ER@JAR and CHAMPION ICEMAN were a perfect 5-0 for the week.
The results of the Circa Sports Million have not been updated to reflect Week 3 results. Mikeybarts1-1 and Mikeybarts1-2 remain tied at the top of the leaderboard with 9.5 points. The same is true of the Golden Nugget Ultimate Football Challenge. Rizzo (11-1-2) and Cuseboy (12-2) entered Week 3 each with 12 points to sit at the top of the standings.
