49ers anger at Cowboys helps Vegas books save winning weekend

The Cowboys were a regular-season covering machine, leading the NFL with a 13-4 ATS record.

But Dallas failed to deliver when it mattered most, losing 23-17 to the 49ers on Sunday as a 3½-point home favorite in their wild card playoff game.

Trailing throughout, the Cowboys had a chance to win in the closing seconds, when quarterback Dak Prescott ran down the middle and slid to the 49ers’ 24. But Dallas did not allow the field judge to set the ball up before breaking it, and time expired as Prescott fell to 1-3 in the playoffs.

After the favorites won and covered the first three playoff games, San Francisco’s upset was a treat for Las Vegas sports betting.

A Caesars Sportsbook bettor lost a $275,000 straight bet on the Cowboys -3.

“The 49ers outright win gave us a bit of a bailout. They put supplies in the cart for us,” Westgate SuperBook vice president Jay Kornegay said ahead of the Chiefs-Steelers game on Sunday night. “But the Chiefs can empty our cart very quickly with a cover and the top.”

Kansas City, which closed as a 12½-point home favorite over Pittsburgh, trailed 7-0 in the second quarter before exploding for 35 straight points in a 42-21 win that moved up the 46½ total.

Bengals boost the books

Despite the 4-1 ATS favorites, the books still had a winning weekend. They were helped by the Raiders failing to cover as 6-point underdogs in Saturday’s 26-19 loss to the Bengals and the game went under 48½ when Derek Carr kicked an interception in the fourth and goal at the Cincinnati 9 with 17 seconds left. .

“We had a lot of Raiders action on this game, so getting the Bengals to win and keep this game under was the best case scenario for us,” Red Rock Resort sports betting manager Chuck Esposito said. “I think everyone expected them to tie it up or take it down at the end. It was their modus operandi. They kind of became the children of the heart.

BetMGM also won on the Bengals, but the SuperBook needed the Raiders, mainly because of a bettor placing a six-figure straight bet on Cincinnati and a six-figure Bengals bet and up.

“One of our great players had trades with Cincinnati and the most,” Kornegay said. “So despite him hitting the Cincinnati team, it was a pretty solid day for us.”

There was two-way action at BetMGM and Station over the Bills’ 47-17 blowout of the Patriots as 4½-point favorites. But it was a good result for the SuperBook.

“Believe it or not, we did well with the Bills,” Kornegay said. “A lot of people had the Patriots on the money line.”

Bettors win big on Bucs

Tom Brady and Tampa Bay picked up the biggest win of the weekend for bettors as they cruised to a 31-15 win and covered the Eagles after closing as 7-point favorites. The Buccaneers led 31-0 before giving up two late scores.

“It was the worst playoff game for us so far,” Esposito said.

Another good result for the books was the Niners-Cowboys game remaining under 51½.

“We were definitely under the fans,” Esposito said.

Packers-Niners

Green Bay is a 5½-point favorite against San Francisco in the SuperBook in Saturday’s Divisional Round playoff game at Lambeau Field and the total is 47.

“The Niners will be on a short week and this will be their third straight road game,” Esposito said. “It’s tough going against the Packers. For me, Lambeau Field is the hardest place to play in the NFL and the biggest home field advantage. I suspect we will see that number increase.

It’s unclear whether defensive starters Fred Warner and Nick Bosa will return from injuries sustained on Sunday.

“The 49ers are a very solid team. But they kind of get high going to Green Bay,” Kornegay said. “Playing in Green Bay is going to be a different story. The Packers are clearly the best team in the league.

Contact journalist Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. To follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.