Something’s Got To Give: Patriots-Cardinals Public Bettors Torn
Bettors aren't overly confident in either side
The betting public isn’t entering “Monday Night Football” overly confident with the New England Patriots set to take on the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium.
A number of sportsbooks have seen a relative split as it pertains to a majority of wagers. It’s not like other games in Week 14 where one team (Kansas City Chiefs) is seeing 94% of the moneyline handle or another (Tennessee Titans) is seeing 76% of the spread tickets. The percentages, much like the modest spread of less than a field goal, indicate the lack of confidence bettors have in either the 6-6 Patriots or 4-8 Cardinals. It’s hard to fault those for feeling that way.
After all, the Matt Patricia-called Patriots offense has largely underwhelmed in recent weeks, to the point that Arizona’s defensive coordinator is even taking shots at New England’s play-caller. On the opposite sideline, however, the Cardinals continue to come up short despite their level of talent and recent rumors have indicated head coach Kliff Kingsbury might not last much longer.
It seems the public has been paying close attention and thus are split.
At DraftKings Sportsbook, the most one-sided wager entering Monday night is the Cardinals moneyline with 63% of the handle and 55% of bets. Still, those aren’t overwhelming percentages especially when you consider 54% of the spread handle and 49% of the spread bets are on the Patriots to cover at the same sportsbook.
BetMGM, however, seems to have taken some big bets on the Patriots to win straight up. New England is responsible for 64% of the handle, though it equates to just 35% of all bets. It’s completely flipped as it pertains to the Cardinals, who represent 65% of tickets for a more modest 36% of the handle.
Even the total hasn’t indicated a clear play. At DraftKings, the Over 44 is responsible for 58% of the handle with about a 50-50 split in tickets as of Monday afternoon. At BetMGM, 57% of the handle is on the Under 43.5 while representing 55% of bets.
Perhaps instead of picking a side or total, those wanting to have something invested will look to prop bets. Cardinals wideout DeAndre Hopkins is responsible for a handful of the most popular props on DraftKings including the first touchdown scorer (7-1), anytime touchdown scorer (+115) and Over 75.5 receiving yards. Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray is getting some buzz for the first touchdown scorer (11-1) along with his Over 1.5 passing touchdowns and Over 200 passing yards.
To no surprise, Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson also is being bet on given New England’s lack of playmakers entering the contest. Stevenson’s Under 17.5 rushing attempts, Over 4.5 receptions and anytime touchdown scorer (-175) are some of the most popular on DraftKings, as well.
Monday night’s contest is scheduled to kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.
