This week’s Thursday Night Football game is one of the more enticing matchups so far this season, with two potential playoff teams — the Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints — facing off at the Caesars Superdome.
The game opened as a pick-em with a low total of 40, and has since moved to the Saints -1 at most books. The total has remained at 40, despite public bettors betting the OVER and some respected money coming in on the UNDER.
Betting has been lighter than a typical Thursday night game as well because so much hinges on the status of Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence injured his left knee late in Jacksonville’s Week 6 victory over the Indianapolis Colts and an MRI after the game revealed a sprain.
He told the media on Tuesday that he was “progressing well” and was optimistic he would play. His backup is C.J. Beathard, whom oddsmakers I asked prior to the season had rated as roughly 4.5 points worse against the spread. On Thursday, Ed Werder reported that Lawrence is expected to start, pending a pregame workout.
“The public and sharps are on the Jaguars,” Zachary Lucas, retail sportsbook director at Twin Spires, said via text. “We have 66 percent of tickets and 72 percent of the dollars on Jacksonville. Under money coming in as well. Unders hot last week, [now it] feels like every game is seeing under money.”
At DraftKings Sportsbook, 65 percent of wagers, but only 44 percent of the handle were on Jacksonville to cover, as of Wednesday evening.
“The line is currently sitting at Saints -1 with the Lawrence injury news really hanging over this game,” Thomas Gable, sportsbook director at The Borgata in New Jersey, said via text. “We saw some Jaguars money come in today, but overall I think a lot of people are hanging back until they hear something more concrete. I’m fairly confident that NLCS Game 3 will have a bigger handle and will be a bigger decision for us than TNF.”
At BetMGM sportsbooks, 51 percent of the bets and 59 percent of the money were on the Saints to cover, as of Thursday morning.
