As we head into NFL Week 3, public betting trends are starting to take shape, with certain teams drawing heavy attention from casual bettors. This week, the Raiders, Ravens, and Texans are seeing the bulk of the public's money, each for different reasons. From the benching of Bryce Young in Carolina to the Ravens' desperate need for a win, these matchups have bettors making bold choices. Let’s break down why the public is so heavily backing these teams and how the betting lines have shifted in response.
Raiders -5 vs. Panthers
The benching of QB Bryce Young has made this Panthers line move drastically, by two points in fact, from +7 to +5. Clearly, the sportsbooks think Andy Dalton has a much better chance of winning this game than Young ever did, but the public still doesn’t seem to care. They were just fine laying the points against the Panthers at 7, and it seems they still are at 5. A high 74 percent of the bets are on the Raiders in this game, according to BetMGM.
This is very unsurprising. If Young was still the starter, the public would be on whoever they faced the rest of the season with how he looked. We’ll see how Dalton performs and if that will change the public opinion of Carolina, but for now, they don’t want to have anything to do with them with how disgusting they have looked over the first two weeks of play.
After the Raiders upset the Ravens in Baltimore last weekend, the classic square bettor formula kicks in, which is backing them again the week after. The sharp players scooped up Carolina +7 before Young was benched, and now are in great position. Let's be real, the Raiders got outplayed by the Ravens and managed to win the game. Still, Las Vegas will be very popular with the public masses on Sunday.
Ravens -1 at Cowboys
The Baltimore Ravens can’t possibly start their season at 0-3 right? That is what the public bettors are thinking here, as 68 percent of the bets are on the Ravens as they travel down to Dallas to take on the Cowboys, according to BetMGM. Indeed, this is almost a must win for Baltimore, as teams that fall to 0-3 are very unlikely to make the playoffs in that year. The reigning league MVP Lamar Jackson, coupled with the winning reputation that Baltimore has around the public square, leads many to bet on them here in a desperate spot.
In addition to that, Dallas just got blown out at home by the Saints, which leaves a sour taste in the mouth of many public bettors. They won’t want any part of them after a loss like that, with perception of them being very low. Still, they are the Cowboys, typically a very public team. This game is lined extremely close, so I will be curious to see which way the money goes as we draw near to kickoff. I could certainly see this line flipping the other way when Dallas money comes in.
Right now though, the public is all over the winless Ravens, as they simply can’t lose this game in their eyes.
Texans -2 at Vikings
Houston was always going to be a very public team coming into this season. Everyone was buying in on CJ Stroud and the team’s elite offensive talent, and to their credit, they are 2-0 to start the year. However, they are also 0-2 ATS, failing to cover the closing line in both of their games so far. The general public certainly doesn’t seem to care about that, however, with 68 percent of the wagers backing the Texans at -2 here on the road against a surprising Minnesota club.
I don’t think anyone expected the Vikings to be 2-0 to start their year, projected as the worst team in their division before the season began. QB Sam Darnold has looked like he has found himself and what made him the former No. 3 overall pick out of USC. Sometimes, you need to be put in the right environment to succeed. Not everyone is a special player that can win anywhere.Still, no one seems to believe in them here just like they didn’t last week against San Francisco.
Public perception of the Texans is very high with their 2-0 start, and with how they looked against a rookie QB last week, even though they still failed to cover the closing line and their offense wasn’t particularly fantastic. Minnesota has to have a Saints-like game to make the public believe in them.
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