Following a Week 1 of favorites and overs cashing more than a web browser, unders dominated Week 2, going 10-6. But the real MVPs, at least in the eyes of the oddsmakers, were a few underdog winners.
“Going into Sunday, I was just trying to think of what our path was, knowing that we really could use the Browns to win, the Steelers to win, the Raiders to win, and the Saints to win, and we got three of the four of them,” said Chuck Esposito, Station Casinos Race and Sports Book Director.
“So three of the four biggest decisions on Sunday, we were able to get to go our way, which really, really helped. It just goes to show you the unpredictability and the parity in pro football, at least early in the season right now.” And for the 0-2 Chargers, they might not have even come close to the bottom of the barrel. With all that in mind, let’s quickly review the past week in sports and peek at what’s ahead on the STN Sports App and the STN Sports Books…
NFL
Few teams went into the season with more hype than the Los Angeles squads. While the Rams seem to have righted the ship after a disastrous first week, the Chargers look more lost than a kid on a milk carton.
In Week 1, they got trashed by the Cardinals, who many believe will battle for the No. 1 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. Last Sunday, the Raiders rocked them in L.A. Now, they face a brutal gauntlet: Five of their next six games are against teams who made the playoffs last year. The other team? The 2-0 Chiefs on the road in Kansas City. That is a stretch that no fitness trainer would recommend.
“This is a Chargers team that literally could be 0-6, 0-8, 2-6,” Esposito said. “They are a huge disappointment right now. I’m not sure when they’ll get their first win, to be honest.”
Tough Luck QBs
Injuries to brand-name quarterbacks were unfortunately the name of the game over the weekend. On Sunday, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams went down with a quad injury and is listed as week-to-week (although it looked much worse than that in real time); later, Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels suffered a dislocated left elbow and is likely out for multiple weeks (it’s the same injury that cost him seven weeks last year); on Monday, New York Giants QB Jaxson Dart went down with a knee injury, and it could be season-ending.
“It’s a shame because it is such a quarterback-driven league, and I think so many people want to see these young quarterbacks play, especially the fan base,” Esposito said. While not all quarterback situations are created equal, lines of the next Bears, Commanders and Giants games will all be affected by roughly a touchdown, assuming all three are out.
“It’s just a huge drop-off in all three cases,” Esposito added. Of the three, the oddsmaker sees Chicago as being best positioned to absorb the QB1 loss, noting that backup Tyson Bagent, who signed a 2-year $10 million deal, may only have to play a week or two. “A number of teams have had interest in him and wanted to trade for him, but it’s a little bit of wait and see because he hasn’t had that many reps. He hasn’t started that many games,” Esposito said.
Bagent, while promising, is more green than the reflecting pool algae. Then again, there’s a chance that Bagent is out, too. On Tuesday, reports said he is in concussion protocol, meaning that Case Keenum would be next up on the depth chart. Having been in the league since 2012, Keenum is more seasoned than Salisbury steak.
Las Vegas Glow-Up
The Raiders — yes, the Raiders — have started the season 2-0, but the fun might come to an end this weekend against the Saints, who are making their home debut and have looked pretty good so far.
“I think the Raiders are in a little bit of a bad spot,” Esposito said. If they’re not careful, the Raiders could be slowed more than an iPhone update. Last week, the STN oddsmaker predicted that the Giants would struggle against the Rams, and did they ever, losing on Monday 28-6. This upcoming week, he cautioned that the Rams may be in another bad spot, traveling to Denver.
“This is the Rams’ third straight isolated prime time game. What’s the toll on them?” he wondered. “They flew to Australia the day before the game, flew all the way back, had an extra couple of days, but then hosted Monday Night Football. Now they have to travel to Denver to play on Sunday Night Football. So, a lot of travel for them.”
College Football
There are college football games with a good storyline, and then there’s LSU-Ole Miss. Last Saturday, Lane Kiffin returned to Oxford, Miss., with his new team, LSU, to take on Ole Miss, the team he spurned before the College Football Playoff (Rebels fans might use the word “betrayed”). The drama of the return only made for a handle larger than Kiffin’s ego.
“It was like a college playoff game,” Esposito said of the handle. “Ole Miss winning was really good for us.” Coming off the emotion of that game, the Rebels now have to travel to Florida and play in The Swamp, which is no easy feat, particularly against the 3-0 Gators, who are field goal favorites. The early money was on Florida, too.
“I know Ole Miss has been coached really well and they’re playing well and they’re up to No. 4 in the country, but you just think there’s going to be a natural bit of a little bit of a letdown after the emotion of beating Kiffin,” Esposito said. “There’s no question in my mind that that has to be the case.”
Last Man Standing
In the NFL Last Man Standing contest, entries are dropping like Visine. After two weeks, STN’s NFL contest has just 1,445 entries still in the hunt, down more than 50% from last week (the competition began with 6,855!).
“I can’t remember a time when one team knocked out more people in back-to-back weeks,” Esposito said, referring to the Chargers. The winner of the NFL competition will net an aggregate payout of $150,000. In the college football Last Man Standing contest, which pays an aggregate payout of $100,000, 3,121 people signed up, but only 733 remain.
Bets To Know
Hockey season is… here?! It’s tough to believe. Before regular season puck drop, if you’ve got the itch to bet (or fade) VGK, STN Sports offers preseason hockey matchups. It’s almost time.
Weekly Winners
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🏈 Rams over Giants
🏈 Cowboys over Commanders
🏈 Seahawks over Cardinals
🏈 49ers / Dolphins o45
🏈 Chiefs / Colts o46.5
⚾ Diamondbacks over Yankees
⚾ Padres over Marlins
⚾ Dodgers over Giants