Brett Maher’s 26-yard field goal with 1:41 remaining extended the Dallas Cowboys’ lead to six points over the Philadelphia Eagles in a Week 16 game last season. And with the Eagles’ subsequent failed game-winning drive, the Cowboys covered as a favorite in a late-season matchup of two elite teams.
It was the 48th time since 2003 in which both teams entered a December or January regular-season game with a winning percentage of at least .700. And it was the 30th time the favorite covered the spread in those games.
Favorites are 30-16-2 (.652) for an ROI of 25.4%. If you bet $100 on each favorite, you’d be more than $1,200.
The 49th time will occur this Sunday when the Eagles (.909) host the San Francisco 49ers (.727). And, as the lone game in the first December weekend of the season, it’ll be the first time the trend appears this year.
From 2003-22, the favorite has finished under .500 in those games only twice: 2003-04 (0-1) and 2018-19 (0-2). They’ve finished above .500 10 times, including in seven of the last nine years.
As of Tuesday’s NFL lines at BetMGM, the 49ers are a 2.5-point road favorite. Barring dramatic line movement, it’ll be the 12th time the road team is favored in one of those games. They’re 8-3-1 (.727), compared to 22-13-1 (.629) for home favorites.
The Eagles would be the fourth team with a winning percentage of at least .900 to be a home underdog in their 12th game or later. Visit the BetMGM online sportsbook for all Week 13 odds, sportsbook promos, and more.