Most NFL games usually have the home team as the favorite due to home-field advantage, but not this week. Eight road teams on the NFL’s Week 6 14-game schedule are favorites, a rarity in the NFL, according to TheLines, which tracks odds in US regulated sports betting markets.
According to a consensus of the nation’s largest legal online sportsbooks — including BetAmerica, BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, FanDuel, PointsBet, SugarHouse, and Unibet – two of those road favorites are favored by seven points or more.
The Los Angeles Rams are the first double-digit road favorite of the season, being 10.5-point road favorites in their game against the New York Giants.
26 games have featured road favorites through the first five weeks of the season. Those road favorites have performed well, outperforming the consensus line by a combined 7.5 points, earning a 17-9 record. Road teams have covered the spread about 51% of the time over the last 20 years.
Stephen Andress, lead analyst for TheLines.com, commented: “Home-field advantage is still an essential factor of every betting line in the NFL, but the advantage has narrowed in recent years. As a result, road favorites have become increasingly common. Still, it’s not often that the majority of the schedule features a road favorite.”
The consensus point spreads for Week 6 games, as of Monday, October 11:
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-7) at Philadelphia Eagles; over/under 51.5
- Miami Dolphins (-3.5) at Jacksonville Jaguars; over/under 45.5
- Green Bay Packers (-4.5) at Chicago Bears; over/under 45
- Cincinnati Bengals (-3.5) at Detroit Lions; over/under 48.5
- Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts (-10); over/under 43
- Los Angeles Rams (-10.5) at New York Giants; over/under 47.5
- Kansas City Chiefs (-6.5) at Washington Football Team; over/under 55.5
- Minnesota Vikings at Carolina Panthers (-1); over/under 46
- Los Angeles Chargers at Baltimore Ravens (-3.5); over/under 50.5
- Arizona Cardinals at Cleveland Browns (-2.5); over/under 51.5
- Las Vegas Raiders at Denver Broncos (-3); over/under 44.5
- Dallas Cowboys (-4) at New England Patriots; over/under 49.5
- Seattle Seahawks at Pittsburgh Steelers (-4.5); over/under 42.5
- Buffalo Bills (-4.5) at Tennessee Titans; over/under 53.5
