What We Learned as NFL Bettors in Week 6

I feel like I’m going to say this every week, but how are we already six weeks into the NFL season? Time flies when you’re having fun.

But this article isn’t about fun, it’s about education! It’s important that us, as sports bettors, take something away from every week in the NFL. It’ll make us better gamblers in the long run.

Here are the top three things we learned as NFL bettors in Week 6.

The Public Sometimes Beats the Sportsbooks

The Sportsbooks had one of the worst weekends in the history of NFL betting. The Cowboys, who were the most public play of the week, managed to find a way to cover the spread in overtime. The Cardinals continue to win and cover despite the oddsmakers not believing in them. The Chiefs, who are continuously backed by the public, also covered the spread against Washington.

WynnBET’s Senior Trading Manager Alan Berg told BetSided “Every now and then there is a doomsday weekend for us and this was it.”

This is why blindly “fading the public” isn’t always a good strategy. Sometimes, the public wins.

Don’t Bet on Tears and Motivation

The Detroit Lions were a popular bet this past weekend, and many people thought they could get their first win of the season against the Bengals. One reason that was often cited was that they’d be “motivated” after seeing Dan Campbell cry during last week’s press conference.

It’s a major lesson that every sports bettor needs to understand at one point or another; motivation should almost never be used as a factor when deciding who to bet on. The Lions went on to get blown out by the Bengals, losing 34-11.

The Arizona Cardinals are Legitimate Contenders

I’ll admit, it took me longer than most people to admit that the Cardinals are legitimate contenders. After their dismantling of the Browns in Week 6, you’d be silly not to consider them among the best teams in the league.

Oddsmakers seem to finally agree, as well. The Cardinals are listed with the fourth shortest odds at WynnBET to win the Super Bowl at +900 (bet $100 to profit $900). That's some significant movement from where they opened at the beginning of the season, which was +5000.

Strap in folks, because we aren’t even halfway through the NFL season. There’s a lot of football left to be played.