The Post’s Dylan Svoboda takes a look at this week’s betting trends and storylines.
End of an era?
The Chiefs might be cooked.
In a near-must-win, Kansas City lost to the Houston Texans on Sunday night to fall to 6-7, putting their playoff hopes on life support.
Essentially needing to win out and get some help to get back to the postseason for the 11th straight season, the Chiefs have +490 odds (FanDuel Sportsbook) to pull it off.
Before the season, the Chiefs were -950 to make the playoffs and the odds-on favorite to win the AFC West.
Phillip Rivers is crashing the party
There’s a new entrant in the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award race.
Phillip Rivers — yes, the 44-year-old quarterback who retired about five years ago — popped up on FanDuel’s odds board after shockingly signing a practice squad deal with the Colts this week.
Rivers is currently +1200 to win the award, trailing only Christian McCaffrey (-135) and Dak Prescott (+125).
If he’s physically ready, the eight-time Pro Bowler could start for Indianapolis down the stretch following Daniel Jones’ season-ending Achilles tear on Sunday in what may be one of the wildest comeback attempts in recent football history.
Bad beat of the year
It doesn’t get much worse than this.
With time ticking away in the game and the Broncos up 24-14 over the Raiders, Las Vegas receiver Tyler Lockett made a catch and was tackled in bounds.
Instead of the clock running out, the officials called a delay of game penalty on Broncos safety Brandon Jones, who was on top of Lockett after making the tackle, allowing the Raiders to get off one more play.
Las Vegas head coach Pete Carroll opted to turn to Daniel Carlson, who nailed the 46-yard kick as time expired, helping the Raiders cover the 8.5-point spread and hit the over, which had been set at 40.5 points.
Dave Portnoy, it’s safe to say, wasn’t happy about it.
Betting on the NFL?
Fernando mania
With the college football regular season in the books, let’s take a look at some NFL Draft odds.
Fresh off a Big Ten title, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is a heavy favorite to go No. 1 overall in April (-150).
He’s outpacing Oregon’s Dante Moore (+380), Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr. (+400), and Alabama’s Ty Simpson (+650), who are also in the mix to be the first player off the board.
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.
