Mad At Maxx? Sportsbooks Not Fans Of Crunch-Time Safety On Mac Jones
Maxx Crosby's safety helped the Raiders cover against the Patriots
Maxx Crosby's crunch-time safety on Patriots quarterback Mac Jones not only caused fans all over New England to curse their television sets, but also caused frustration among many oddsmakers.
Facing third-and-15 with 1:47 remaining in the Week 6 contest, Crosby threw Patriots tight end Mike Gesicki to the side and sped past putrid right tackle Vederian Lowe before he sacked Jones in the end zone. The safety by Crosby helped the Raiders take a 21-17 lead in the final two minutes. Las Vegas then recovered the ensuing onside punt and ran out the clock.
The spread closed with the Raiders as a 3-point home favorite. New England started its two-minute drill trailing 19-17 before it lost by four.
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"Patriots safety was not good for us," John Murray, executive director of the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook told USA Today Sports' Ben Fawkes.
PointsBet director of trading Kevin Lawler told Fawkes: "The safety to (end) the Pats game was most unwelcome in the PointsBet trading room. We were looking for under 37 points there and that brought it just over the mark for us!"
Station Casinos sportsbook director Chuck Esposito and Borgata sportsbook director Thomas Gable also told Fawkes their books took a hit on the safety.
The majority of betting public wasn't any happier. BetMGM revealed Sunday that 73% of the spread handle was on the Patriots to cover the three points. It represented 53% of spread tickets. Additionally, 56% of the moneyline handle and 51% of the bets were on the Patriots to win outright.
Bill Belichick's team, which is now 1-5 overall and 1-5 against the spread, will face Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in Week 7. The Bills opened as a 9-point road favorite.
