NFL betting recap: Eagles survived Colts on Sunday, but couldn't cover for bettors

The Philadelphia Eagles were the last NFL team to lose a game this season. They started the season 8-0 before losing to the Washington Commanders on Monday night of last week. Despite the slightly shortened week and quicker turnaround, bettors expected Philadelphia to bounce back on Sunday. While they got back in the win column, it wasn't quite as convincing as many had hoped.

By the time kickoff approached on Sunday afternoon, Philadelphia was a 6.5-point road favorite in Indianapolis against the Colts. The game was the most bet game of the afternoon at BetMGM. Philadelphia was the most popular side of any side on Sunday's slate, as 73% of bets and 81% of the money was backing the Eagles.

The Eagles were coming off their first loss of the season. You had to think there would be a bad taste in their mouth they'd want to get rid of. On the other side, it was fair to wonder if the adrenaline and "interim bump" the Colts had gotten from the hiring of Jeff Saturday would carry over. This game felt like it was a good spot for both sides to regress towards the mean.

However, right from the get go, you could tell that wasn't going to be the case. Indianapolis took the opening drive and marched it right down the field against the Eagles' defense. They capped it off with a touchdown from Jonathan Taylor.

That opening drive touchdown ended up being the last touchdown we would see until the fourth quarter. Indianapolis had a 13-3 lead entering the fourth quarter, and it looked like they were on their way to pulling off the outright upset. However, Jalen Hurts finally found the end zone with a touchdown pass to Quez Watkins to cut Indianapolis' lead to three.

Jonathan Taylor and A.J. Brown fumbled on back-to-back drives before Indianapolis kicked another field goal to extend their lead to six. Hurts got the ball back with under five minutes remaining in the game and needed a touchdown for the lead. He got just that with an 11-play drive that included a fourth-down conversion. Hurts capped the drive himself with a quarterback run into the end zone. The extra point was good and for the first time, Philadelphia had a lead.

The Eagles' defense held strong and forced a turnover on downs from the Colts. They held on for the one-point victory. It was enough to get the Eagles back in the win column, but it wasn't enough for the cover. It was a good result for the sportsbooks and a bad result for the betting public. Jeff Saturday improved to 2-0 against the spread as the interim coach of the Colts. On the flip side, the Eagles have failed to cover in their last three games.

Browns get their bettors a push, hit the over late

If you start in the early part of last week, the Cleveland Browns vs. Buffalo Bills game was an absolute roller coaster. The game was originally scheduled to be played in Buffalo. Quickly, we prepared for a snow game before realizing that there would be a little too much snow, which forced the game to be moved to Detroit. Then, there was serious worry about whether Buffalo would even be able to get to the game.

That up-and-down roller coaster continued into the game itself. The Browns came out hot, with Jacoby Brissett leading a touchdown drive on their first drive of the game. Josh Allen was struggling mightily for the first half of the game.

However, finally, the running game got going for Buffalo. They took a 13-10 lead late in the first half and never looked back. Cleveland's offense went quiet and Buffalo moved the ball with ease against the Browns. However, Allen and company struggled in the red zone. Nevertheless, the Bills opened up a 28-10 lead over Cleveland in the fourth quarter.

Bettors who had the Bills as an 8-point favorite were probably feeling pretty good. Buffalo was up 18 points and they were controlling the game. However, with just over four minutes left, Brissett found Amari Cooper to cut Buffalo's lead to twelve points. A two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful. An onside kick attempt was also unsuccessful by the Browns, and after recovering, Buffalo kicked a field goal to extend the lead to 15 points.

At this point, it had to be over bettors who were miffed. That was Buffalo's sixth field goal of the game. Both teams had failed on a two-point conversion. The Browns had a missed field goal and two turnovers. There was plenty of points left on the board. However, the 31-16 score at this point was not enough points for anyone who had the game to go over 50.5 points.

Thankfully for over bettors and anyone who had the Browns, Jacoby Brissett and the Cleveland offense weren't done. Brissett found Donovan Peoples-Jones for a two yard touchdown with just 20 seconds left. That finally pushed the game over the total. Then, with the Browns down nine points, Kevin Stefanski decided to kick the extra point. That was a big choice. He could have gone for two right then and there. If he did that, the spread would hang in the balance. Instead, by kicking the extra point, Stefanski secured a push for anyone who bet the game at the closing number of 8-points.

Jets' bettors felt robbed

The New England Patriots closed as a 3.5-point home favorite over the New York Jets. It was actually a huge game when it comes to the playoff race in the AFC. Both teams project to be fighting for the final spots in the wild card race down the stretch.

What unfolded over the course of the game was absolutely beautiful for anyone who enjoys stifling defense. However, for anyone who prefers competent offensive play, it was nearly unwatchable.

Through the first 59-plus minutes of the game, the Jets and Patriots played to a 3-3 tie. Zach Wilson had nine completions. The Jets had punted 10 times. On the other side, the Jets' defense was dominating Mac Jones and company as well.

There was a high probability this game was heading towards a 3-3 tie, with neither team able to move the ball against the other. The odds of this game being decided by anything other than a field goal were basically nonexistent. If you had the Jets getting 3.5-points, you must have felt golden.

When the Jets decided to punt the ball back to the Patriots with 26 seconds left in regulation time, it felt like the game was headed for overtime. However, Marcus Jones returned the punt for 84 yards and into the end zone. Suddenly, not only did the Patriots have the lead, but they were also covering as a 3.5-point favorite.

What makes matters even worse for the Jets is that many felt the Patriots' committed a block-in-the-back penalty on the punt return. If the refs called the penalty, the Patriots' were still probably in field-goal range, but Jets' bettors would have covered. Instead, the officials determined that the block was from the side and didn't throw a flag. What an awful beat for Jets' bettors.