The Arizona Cardinals and Cincinnati Bengals were projected by the oddsmakers to finish last in their division at the start of the regular season.
Now, both of these teams are causing the largest line movement of the week so far in the NFL.
The Cardinals have seen a 3.5-point swing from where they opened, moving from -3 to -6.5 at home against the Green Bay Packers. Meanwhile, the Bengals, fresh off a 41-17 thrashing of their division rival Baltimore Ravens on the road, have rolled from an 8.5-point road favorite against the New York Jets, to double-digits at -10.
Earlier this week, we at BetSided highlighted how the likely loss of Packers wide receivers Davante Adams and Allen Lazard has shifted the line in Thursday night's game, as both receivers are placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Davante Adams has been placed on the COVID-19 list.https://t.co/3pZ9lUYY66
— FanSided (@FanSided) October 26, 2021
"The unknown with the rest of the Packers’ staff as well as having to go up against the hottest team in the NFL drove up that number," WynnBET Senior Trading Manager Alan Berg told BetSided on Tuesday.
"I can’t remember a wide receiver commanding that much respect. We took some bets on the way up and moved accordingly.”
Meanwhile, the Bengals move to -10 ahead of their Sunday game vs. the New York Jets is a significant move in their franchise history. Cincinnati has not been a double digit road favorite THIS CENTURY!
If the betting line on the #Bengals/Jets game to 10 or more with the Zach Wilson news, it will be the first time this century that the Bengals are a double digit road favorite.
— Drew Garrison (@Drew_LRT) October 25, 2021
This is a factual statement and not a joke.
As for the last time the Bengals were a double digit favorite in general, you only have to go back to 2017, when they were -11 favorites just under four years ago against the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 29 according to John Ewing and BetLabs.