NFL Week 14 betting recap: Inside the week's biggest upsets, best bets and how it all affected the Week 15 lines

Detroit -2.5 against Minnesota. There you have the most buzzed-about spread on Week 14 games.

The Lions entered the game 5-7 straight-up, the Vikings 10-4. Only nine previous times since the advent of the Super Bowl had a team with a losing record in December or January been favored over a foe with a win percentage of .800 or better, according to ESPN. In some instances, those winning teams rested starters with the playoffs looming.

Even the Lions' coach was taken aback. "I'm shocked by that," Dan Campbell said during the lead-up.

At many sportsbooks, the clientele flocked to the Lions, who opened the week as underdogs. Backers at any number were rewarded with a 34-23 win. 

More tidbits from the limited schedule of 13 games:

Top 'Dogs

Let's go back to Thursday night, when the Los Angeles Rams set the top underdog bar skyscraper-high. Their 17-16 rabbit-out-of-a-hat win as underdogs by what seemed a too-low 6.5 still beggars belief.

Baker Mayfield joined the nearly empty quarterbacks room in L.A. just two days before kickoff and had time barely to skim the playbook. There were vacant chairs around the team's building as a result of widespread injuries.

The immobile Rams appeared hopelessly beaten by Las Vegas. At one point in the fourth quarter with the score 16-3, an analytics formula determined the Raiders' chances of victory were 99.3%. Somehow Mayfield concocted two touchdown drives, the second concluding with 10 seconds to spare. The Rams were a far bigger 'dog than the line indicated.

Other outright winners by teams receiving points were Baltimore, Jacksonville, Carolina and the L.A. Chargers. None was a jaw-dropper given that the spreads ranged from 2.5 to four.

Let's give a rare shout-out to a 'dog that did not win but, by all rights, deserved to.

The week's other buzz-worthy line was the largest of the season: Dallas -17.5 versus Houston. Remarkably, the Texans had the Cowboys beat with an apparent late-game touchdown that would have provided a two-score margin. But Texans QB Davis Mills was ruled centimeters short of the goal line. Houston subsequently turned the ball over on downs, and Dallas drove 98 yards for the decisive touchdown to escape 27-23. 

Bad Beats

The baddest was a no-brainer.

The Chiefs (-9) cruised to a 27-0 lead over Denver. ESPN noted that teams with such an edge held over a 99% cover rate. Alas, the Broncos closed to within 34-28 by the end — a bitter one for investors of Kansas City.

The only contender came on the Cowboys' aforementioned cross-country march for a late TD that pushed the points to 50. The total was 44, however, so a field goal would have resulted in an Over.  

How The Books Fared

It was a mixed bag.

At Caesars, late money on Minnesota actually made its outcome a winner for the sportsbook. The public cashed big-time on the Ravens' mini-upset, which was foreseen by the bulk of bettors on the game, but misfired on Buffalo covering against the Jets.

As usual, bettors preferred favorites, which meant hits on Cincinnati over Cleveland and San Francisco over Tampa Bay but misses on a pair of surprises — Panthers over Seahawks, Jaguars over Titans.

Week 13 Line Moves

Imagine the odds that Brock Purdy would win league Player of the Week honors. Thousand-to-one, perhaps? 

The 49ers' rookie QB, last year's Mr Irrelevant at the draft who was making his debut opposite a stout Tampa Bay defense, channeled Tom Brady in peak form. San Francisco's blowout win, combined with the Seahawks' defeat, has pushed their Thursday night matchup to -3.5 for the Niners, up from -1.5.

The other bookend to the Week 15 schedule is the Monday nighter at Green Bay. The Packers, coming off a bye, are now -7.5. The lookahead line of -9.5 was impacted by the Rams' football miracle.

Arizona has flipped from +1 to -1.5 versus Denver, pending the Cardinals' Monday night outcome against New England.

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