Want to know a good way to find out just how valuable your favorite quarterback is? See what happens to the point spread when injury news gets reported.
Want to know a good way to find out just how valuable your favorite quarterback is? See what happens to the point spread when injury news gets reported.The NFLWeek 16 odds board got a shaking up Monday afternoon for arguably the biggest game: Saturdays Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys showdown at 4:25 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App.
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts has a sprained shoulder. With his status uncertain, the Eagles-Cowboys line saw a big move, as did the NFL MVP odds market.
Let’s jump into the injury news from a betting perspective.
RELATED: Jalen Hurts injury news
Growing underdog
Philadelphia improved to 13-1 on the season with its 25-20 win over Chicago, while Dallas dipped to 10-4 after its surprising 40-34 overtime loss to Jacksonville. Still, oddsmakers opened the Cowboys as a short favorite for the Christmas Eve showdown at Jerrys World, with Dallas a consensus -1.5.
However, even before the Hurts news broke, the Cowboys had advanced to -3 at WynnBet, perhaps anticipating the issue. Once Hurts questionable status was confirmed, the line shot to Cowboys -6.5, After about an hour, Dallas inched down a notch to -6 (the current odds at FOX Bet).
Eagles at Cowboys (4:25 p.m. ET Saturday, FOX)
Point spread: Cowboys -6 (Cowboys favored to win by more than 6 points, otherwise Eagles cover)Moneyline: Cowboys -278 favorites to win (bet $10 to win $13.60 total); Eagles +205 underdogs to win (bet $10 to win $30.50 total)Total scoring Over/Under: 46.5 points scored by both teams combined
“Having a guy like Hurts out is going to catch our attention quickly,” WynnBet senior trader Motoi Pearson said. “Even with [Gardner] Minshew to back him up, hes still worth a decent amount to the line. Not to mention the significant drop in the total.”
Indeed, the Eagles-Cowboys total opened at 51 and peaked at 51.5 early Monday afternoon at WynnBet. From mid-afternoon on, it steadily dropped before finally stabilizing at 47 (46.5 at FOX Bet).
“Were looking at this thing through a whole new lens,” Pearson said.
WynnBet indicated that some bettors got in just ahead of the Hurts news, wagering on more favorable Cowboys numbers (-3/-4).
MVP odds flip
It wasnt just this weeks game that got an adjustment. So, too, did the NFL MVP odds. Prior to the Hurts injury news, the Eagles QB was the -145 favorite at PointsBet USA, with Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes not far behind at +130.
After the news broke, Mahomes jumped to the -200 favorite and Hurts slid back to +200. And the odds movement didnt stop there.
“We originally shifted to Mahomes -200, but thats now all the way out to -300,” PointsBet sports analyst Mike Korn said, noting Hurts is now +400. “Hurts is a bigger liability for us than Mahomes.”
In amended odds to win NFL MVP, Hurts now sits much closer to Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen (+600) and Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow (+700) than the Eagles QB does to new favorite Mahomes.
Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. Hes based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on Twitter: @PatrickE_Vegas.
Top stories from FOX Sports:
Read more from the World Cup:
Download the FOX Super 6 app for your chance to win thousands of dollars on the biggest sporting events each and every week! Just make your picks and you could win the grand prize. Download and play today!
