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STN Sports Weekly Rundown

December 22, 2021

Merry ChriSTNmas, y’all! Tis the season for giving, right? That’s only true if you had the guts to take the Lions and Saints over the weekend. On Sunday, the two double-digit underdogs won outright, killing most parlays, teasers and moneyline bets. Feel free to dub the Lions and Saints the ultimate scrooges, as they beat the Cardinals and Buccaneers, respectively. The Ravens cover without Lamar Jackson under center also proved to be a big win for the Station Casinos Sports Book (which means bettors tickets equated to a lump of coal). That, ladies and gentlemen, is how the Grinch stole Christmas! With last week’s seemingly never-ending slate of NFL games in mind, let’s take a look back at the week that was in sports, and take a look at what’s ahead…. assuming, of course, that COVID doesn’t postpone anything else!

COVID or Covering?
There figures to be an extra player at every single game regardless of sport for a while: COVID. The virus continues to rear its ugly head and have drastic impacts on games. In the NHL’s case, it hit the temporary pause button on the season through Christmas. The NBA has players shuffling in and out of lineups. As of Monday night, 80 players in the Association were sidelined due to protocols. In the NFL, games are continuing, but betting lines are shifting rapidly depending on the availability of players. Take the Raiders-Cleveland game, for instance. The game was set to be played on Dec. 18, and the Browns opened at 6.5-point favorites on the STN App. Due to rising cases among the teams (especially Cleveland,) the game was moved to Monday. Station House Rules voided and refunded all bets because the date of the game moved. As info came in, the Raiders became a small favorite. As more info came in, Derek Carr and Co. became bigger favorites, and even bigger favorites. The line settled on the Raiders closing at 3-point favorites. Chuck Esposito, Station Casinos Sports Book Director, said, “I can’t ever remember a swing like that on a pro football game that was so dramatic back and forth within 72 hours.” There have been fewer changes to that old fast food restaurant on the corner you can tell used to be a Taco Bell.

Coldhearted Playoffs
So, you’re a playoff team? If you plan on winning your conference, bring a coat! The Packers and Chiefs seem to be operating at a higher level than anyone else, and you could argue that those two teams have the best home field advantage in the league. If the season ended today, the road to the Super Bowl would go through Green Bay and Kansas City — two teams who play in outdoor stadiums. “That’s not easy for anybody, especially with the cold and those conditions,” Esposito said. The average high in January in Kansas City isn 39 degrees. The average high (High!) in January in Green Bay is 26 degrees. Even Hormel doesn’t get chilly chili like this.

We The North
Does anyone want to win the AFC North? All four teams are within a game of each other, so the division is really up for grabs, as is a playoff spot. This Sunday’s Ravens at Cincinnati game could go a long way in determining the winner. The Bengals have been established as small favorites in the game, mainly due to the home field advantage. Still, Esposito thinks the Ravens will emerge from the North. “Defensively they’re good,” he said. “If they get Lamar back, I think they take it.” Cincinnati, meanwhile, is much better on the road than at home, which is troubling. The Ravens need Jackson back and healthy, but don’t sell backup QB Tyler Huntley short — the guy has been runnin’ and gunnin’ more than an episode of Yellowstone.

Beasts of the East
Strap in. On Sunday, Buffalo heads to the Hoodie’s home to take on New England. It’s quite possible the winner of the contest wins the AFC East and gets a high playoff seed. But, if Buffalo loses, they could be in danger of missing the playoffs all together, particularly given the logjam of in-the-mix teams in the conference. The Patriots — who are a game up on the Bills — have been established as a small favorite, despite havinge a losing home record. “I think there’s some value with the Bills getting points here,” Esposito opined. “As much as the Bills have struggled and haven’t looked like the best team offensively, they’re still a scary team. If they get hot at the right time they still could be the team playing in February. It’s a huge game for both these teams.”

Beat It
One of the first bowl games of the year gave us a pretty horrific bad beat… that is, if you bet Northern Illinois moneyline. The Huskies, down 47-41, were in position to win the Cure Bowl, as they had the ball on the 4 yard line (and as evidenced by the score, neither team could stop a nose bleed). The clock, showing 2 seconds left, was supposed to start on the referee’s whistle, which would have certainly given Northern Illinois one crack at an outright win. However, the game clock operator started the clock when the ref put the ball down. No whistle was blown. Suddenly, before the offense was even set, the clock read double zero’s and the game officials didn’t try to correct things. On the bright side, NIU covered the double-digit line. Still, moneyline backers got more screwed than a Home Depot aisle.

Bad Beat — Honorable Mention
“Can I Kick It?” — A Tribe Called Quest, 1990.
Bears backers (including the Sports Book!) also got dealt a bad hand on Monday Night Football. Chicago closed as 7.5 point underdogs, and they scored a touchdown on the very last play of the game, giving fans hope for a backdoor cover or miracle push (for those who hadgot the line at 7). What fans forgot was that the NFL implemented a rule that point-after-touchdown’s are not allowed if that point would not affect the outcome. Granted, the single point didn’t affect the winner or loser, but it mattered to a whole heck of a lot of people in Vegas! The non-allowed PAT hurt the Station Sports Book, too, as bettors pounced on Minnesota’s second half line of -1. The bet pushed. So, to answer the age-old question of “Can I Kick It?” No, you can’t.

Good Knight
After a somewhat mediocre start to the NHL season, the Vegas Golden Knights are singing, “Hello from the other side!” Now fully healthy for the most part, the Knights are sizzling nearly as much as the Flaming Tequila Fajitas at Borracha. During their four-game road trip to the east coast, the Golden Guys picked up 8 points and took over the top spot in the Pacific Division. Bettors are noticing, as VGK is back to being a favorite team of bettors, which wasn’t happening earlier in the season. The only thing that would stop the Knights is a global health pandemic… And that’s what happened, as the NHL paused all games between Dec. 22 though Christmas. “In Knights games that go over and cover the puck line, our guests are smiling,” Esposito said. “The public is backing them on a nightly basis again. The one team that wants to play as many games as they can right now are the Knights. They’re extremely hot.” On Tuesday night, VGK took on the Tampa Bay Lightning and failed to net a win, but they still won eight of their last 10 prior to the unplanned for break. Considering how good both teams are, it could have been a Stanley Cup Finals preview.

Part Time Help, Full Time Stud
The Brooklyn Nets made huge news over the past few days, announcing that superstar Kyrie Irving will be suiting up as a part-time player for the team. Because he’s unvaccinated against COVID and because New York City has a vaccine mandate, Irving is not allowed to play basketball in the Big Apple, which (checks the map) is where Brooklyn is located. He also can’t play against the New York Knicks or Warriors, due to San Francisco’s vaccination policy. What does his presence, even as a part-timer, do for the Nets, especially when coupled with Kevin Durant and James Harden? “Hopefully he’s been practicing and he’s in shape,” Esposito said. “It’ll be a little bit of a wait-and-see, but my guess is when those three guys are on — and last year, I think they were undefeated when they all played together in a limited amount of games — that they’re a really dangerous team.” With or without Irving, the Nets are a favorite to win the NBA title. With him, they have a better chance. But, in a way-too-early look ahead, what if the NBA Finals features the Nets and Warriors? Under the current COVID rules, Irving would not be allowed to play at ether arena. The Warriors and Nets, by the way, currently have the best odds to win their conferences on the STN App, so that matchup is not farfetched. “If it was those two teams in the final, I think it would be a bonanza for our side of the counter, for the network and for the league,” Esposito said.

Word to the Wise
In this season of giving, give yourself the STN App and stay in the action!

Bets To Know

Be on the lookout for offerings on all Bowl games in the STN Sports App. With errands to run and time spent with family, it’s easy to bet the games from the comfort of home!

STN Sports Weekly Winners

And that Lions moneyline… wow!

UAB +225
UTAH ST +230
TEXANS +190
LIONS +525