The COVID-19 pandemic has brought even more uncertainty to the NFL season over the last week, which has been reflected by oddsmakers ahead of the Week 13 slate of games, according to TheLines.com, which tracks odds in the US regulated sports betting market.
The past week has seen COVID-19 affect many NFL teams one way or another.
From the Baltimore Ravens-Pittsburgh Steelers game being rescheduled three times, to the Denver Broncos being forced to play a wide receiver at quarterback, to the San Francisco 49ers being forced to play their home games outside of Santa Clara after the county’s health directive banned contact sports for at least the next three weeks amid a COVID-19 surge.
The question now is how much of the Week 13 schedule will be impacted by the pandemic? The uncertainty is bound to affect oddsmakers.
With star quarterback Lamar Jackson becoming one of the latest Ravens players to make his way to the COVID-19 reserve list, Pittsburgh has grown to a 10-point favorite over Baltimore after opening last week as 3-point favorites, according to a consensus of that nation’s largest legal online sportsbooks — including DraftKings, FanDuel, PointsBet, PlaySugarHouse, BetMGM, Unibet, and William Hill.
Meanwhile, the 49ers remain a 3-point ‘home’ underdog to the Buffalo Bills with no over/under set yet, in a game in which will be taking place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, home of the Arizona Cardinals.
The Broncos, recovering from their 31-3 loss in which receiver Kendall Hinton had to fill in as quarterback, are 13.5-point underdogs to the Kansas City Chiefs, a line that will likely change depending on Denver’s quarterback situation.
Brett Collson, lead analyst for TheLines.com, said: “Oddsmakers knew before the season that playing a full schedule in a pandemic would bring unprecedented challenges. During the last week, though, we have seen just how pronounced those questions can be.
“This is a week when odds could shift significantly, and that will likely be a fact of life for the rest of the season.”
The consensus point spreads for Week 13 and remaining Week 12 game, as of Monday, Nov. 30:
- Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers (-10); over/under 41
- Cincinnati Bengals at Miami Dolphins (-11.5); over/under 42
- Cleveland Browns at Tennessee Titans (-4.5); over/under 54
- Indianapolis Colts (-2.5) at Houston Texans; over/under 53.5
- Jacksonville Jaguars at Minnesota Vikings (-9.5); over/under 51.5
- Las Vegas Raiders (-7.5) at New York Jets; over/under 46.5
- Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears (-5); over/under 45
- New Orleans Saints (-3.5) at Atlanta Falcons; over/under 46.5
- Los Angeles Rams (-1.5) at Arizona Cardinals; over/under 48.5
- New York Giants at Seattle Seahawks (-8.5); over/under N/A
- New England Patriots at Los Angeles Chargers (-1.5); over/under 48
- Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers (-7.5); over/under N/A
- Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs (-13.5); over/under 49
- Buffalo Bills (-3) at San Francisco 49ers; over/under N/A
- Dallas Cowboys at Baltimore Ravens (-7); over/under N/A
- Washington at Pittsburgh Steelers (-10); over/under N/A
