Sports gambling column: Week Three
Well, well, well. Here we are again. At this point, I’m probably a degenerate gambler, because I bet another $40 in the wee hours of Friday night. I took the Bengals to win the AFC North, at +215 odds, and the Chiefs to win the AFC West at +120. Pretty good odds, right? Both teams were 2-0 heading into Sunday with no other 2-0 teams in either of their divisions. But, since I decided to put money on them, these teams are bound to fail.
The Bengals bet was mostly because of the odds, but also the fact that none of the other teams in the AFC North look particularly good. Even though the Bengals just lost to the Panthers, their division win over the Ravens was huge, especially since the Steelers look like they might struggle to make the playoffs this year. And I’m not so sure that Le’Veon Bell is coming back at all this year, either. The Browns are the Browns, and even though they got their first win in almost two years Thursday night over the Jets, let’s all remember that: 1. It was the freaking Jets, 2. Weird things always happen in Thursday night games, and 3. Again, it was the freaking Jets. I know, I know. The Bengals aren’t exactly the most reliable team in the league expectations-wise either. They lost 5 straight playoff games from 2011-2015. But this is the regular season, and that’s different, right? Right? RIGHT?!?!
But this Chiefs bet, I expect to win. The Chiefs are 3-0, and the offense led by rookie quarterback Patrick Mahomes is shredding the league. The AFC West doesn’t have another top-tier team in it, either. The Broncos are 2-1, but had an easy first two games before getting dominated in Baltimore. Jon Gruden’s time as head coach in Oakland isn’t starting well, and the Raiders are 0-3. The Chargers are pretty good, but always seem to lose close games and that team started 1-2 this year. With their lack of good competition in the division, the Chiefs should win the AFC West easily this year. Unless Mahomes tears his ACL this year solely because I decided to bet on the Chiefs.
After making those two bets, I decided to send an email to Bovada to deactivate my account so that I can’t bet again until Oct. 21, a month after I made these two bets. If they deactivate my account, it’s going to be a long month. Probably for the best. So, I’ll see you then, maybe before.
Money spent to date: $70
Winnings to date: $0
