NFL Week 6 action report: Sharp and public bettors backing the Seahawks
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The NFL season enters Week 6 with some big matchups on the slate. Where is the sharp money? Which lines are moving the most? Each week throughout the campaign, we'll track the games drawing the most interest from bettors.
We talked to Jay Rood, Bet.Works' chief risk officer and theScore Bet's head trader, to see how sharps and public bettors are playing the Week 6 slate.
All lines courtesy of theScore Bet.
Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs (-4, 55)
The Chiefs are looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season to the Indianapolis Colts last week. Meanwhile, the Texans' offense put up its best performance of the year in a 53-32 rout of the Atlanta Falcons.
Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill will be a game-time decision after missing the last four games with a shoulder injury. However, the bigger concern is Patrick Mahomes' health. Mahomes re-aggravated an ankle injury in last week's loss. We know the public will be on Kansas City as a short home favorite, but sharps are going the other way by backing Houston. The number dropped two points since the opening line was released with early money coming in on the Texans.
"The ticket count is 2-1 to KC but the money is 2-1 to Houston," Rood said. "We're gonna see the public all over the Chiefs, though maybe not as heavy as usual since Mahomes got dinged up a little bit. Sharp money will be on the Texans' side."
Seattle Seahawks (-1, 46.5) at Cleveland Browns
One of the most interesting games of the week pits the surprising 4-1 Seahawks against the 2-3 Browns. Seattle is coming off an emotional one-point win at home in Week 5 on Thursday Night Football against the Los Angeles Rams, while the Browns got blown out by the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football.
With the Browns stumbling out of the gate, it's not surprising to see bettors backing the Seahawks, especially with Cleveland coming off a blowout loss. However, this is one of the rare times when public and sharp bettors are on the same side. The line opened at Browns -2.5 and has moved to Seattle being a one-point road favorite.
"We took a large bet on the Seahawks moneyline," Rood said. "We've got pretty much everybody on Seattle. Ticket count is 7-1 and money is 12-1 on the Seahawks. It's gonna be a big game because the pros and Joes are both on the Seahawks' side. We're gonna need Cleveland to show up for us on Sunday."
The Seahawks have been a profitable bet away from home recently, as they've covered seven of their last eight road games.
San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams (-3, 50)
San Francisco enters Week 6 as one of two remaining undefeated teams in the NFL thanks to its defense and a strong running game. The Niners rank second in total defense and first in rushing offense, averaging 200 yards per game on the ground. The Rams will try to rebound after dropping two straight to Seattle and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Rams head coach Sean McVay has been close to unbeatable with extra time to prepare. McVay is 10-1 straight up and 8-2-1 against the spread with more than seven days to get ready for a game. His only loss came to the New England Patriots in last year's Super Bowl.
Despite McVay's recent success when given extra time to game plan, bettors are siding with the 49ers to stay unbeaten Sunday.
"Right now everything is really heavy toward San Fran," Rood said. "Ticket count and money are both 3-1 to the Niners. Ticket count on parlays is 2-1 for San Fran. People (are) really buying into the Niners right now."
Thomas Casale is theScore's supervising editor of sports betting. He's been following the sports betting industry for almost 30 years. A devoted fan of the wishbone offense, Thomas bets on all sports but specializes in college football, NFL, and college basketball. Find him on Twitter @TheTomCasale.