The clock had ticked down to zero Womens Randall Cobb Jersey , and Minnesota fans were already deep into a celebration like no other.
In this city’s legal sports books, though, the outcome was still in doubt.
An extra point that wasn’t needed had to be attempted anyway. New Orleans players had to be brought back from the locker room to make a token effort to defend it.
In the minutes it took for the Vikings to finally line up and take a knee, many bettors who wagered on the point spread didn’t know whether to stand in line to cash their tickets or tear them up and toss them in the garbage.
”Millions and millions of dollars exchanged hands when they kneeled down at goal line,” said Jimmy Vaccaro, oddsmaker at the South Point hotel.
One of the most unimaginable endings in a playoff game made for some dicey moments in sports books around Las Vegas. While bettors on the money line either cursed or celebrated the final touchdown play, those who bet the point spread weren’t sure whether they were winners or losers.
If the Vikings had kicked the extra point, those who took the Saints at plus 5 1-2 points would go from winners to losers. Those who had the Vikings minus the points would swap places with them.
Just another playoff Sunday in a world where it’s not so much who wins, but which team covers the spread.
”When that play took place, the ones that knew they won were headed to the cashing line,” said Jay Kornegay of the Westgate Las Vegas sports book. ”Then the reality of the extra point came into play and everybody started talking about what they were going to do.”
The game capped a weekend that for the most part was spectacular for sports books, which won big on Jacksonville’s Womens DeSean Jackson Jersey , win over Pittsburgh and also cashed in on Philadelphia’s home underdog win over Atlanta.
Though many books lost money on the Vikings game, they would have been even worse off without the final touchdown because so much money was bet on the Saints to win straight up on the money line.
”We did really well overall,” said Nick Bogdanovich of the William Hill chain. ”We just murdered those two games, Jacksonville and Philly.”
Things would have been even better had Tennessee not scored a meaningless touchdown in the final seconds that pushed the game against New England past the over/under and rewarded bettors who tend to favor the over in most games.
”In our world all those games came down to the last second,” Kornegay said. ”Even in the one blowout the total was hinging on the last drive by the Titans.”
Oddsmakers said they had packed houses for both games, thanks to a strong economy and the exploding popularity of sports betting. Wagering on the NFL is up again this year, and most bookies say they expect a record Super Bowl handle, no matter which teams make it to the big game.
At the South Point, Vaccaro said he judged the crowd by the line at the hot dog cart, which was 25 long most of the weekend.
”All I can tell you is the handle is through the roof,” Vaccaro said. ”We did as much on the two games each day as we do on a full plate of NFL on a regular season Sunday. It’s incredible to see.”
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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) When the Denver Broncos reported to training camp they were met by cushy new team and position meeting rooms and an expanded training room that features two cryogenic chambers and a flotation pod along with other amenities courtesy of a $9.5 million facilities face-lift that capped a five-year Womens Mitchell Trubisky Jersey , $45 million renovation.
An even bigger upgrade is the $56 million one on offense.
General manager John Elway signed quarterback Case Keenum to a two-year, $36 million deal and acquired right tackle Jared Veldheer from Arizona.
Then, he bolstered his backfield by drafting running back Royce Freeman out of Oregon and receivers Courtland Sutton of SMU and DaeSean Hamilton of Penn State.
They are the pillars of a 10-member draft class that’s led by first-rounder Bradley Chubb and has already drawn raves for its depth of talent and knowledge. All 10 spent four years in college honing their crafts, a reversal of last year’s draft class that was loaded with projects and problems.
The Broncos haven’t bolstered their offense like this since the Peyton Manning era, and with Keenum, they’re no longer bogged down by a QB competition like they were each of the last two summers – unless you count Paxton Lynch and Chad Kelly’s battle for the backup job.
”We’re a better football team,” Elway said Friday on the eve of training camp. ”We have some better depth. I think Case is a big part of that. … Now, we have to all come together. It’s about getting continuity on the offensive line as well as the young wide receivers getting up to speed. As well as the young running back.
”So, offensively, I’m excited about it, especially with Case” leading the way.
So is coach Vance Joseph.
”I think it’s huge to have a starting quarterback in place,” Joseph said. ”In at league that’s built for parity Authentic Jared Goff Jersey , from the top to the bottom of the roster every team’s got talent. But the one position that makes a huge difference is quarterback. And we do have one in place. So, that’s exciting for our team.”
No more splitting snaps. No more getting used to two different cadences or throwing styles.
And no more wondering.
”It’s given us clarity for our football team,” Joseph said. ”We’re not guessing who the quarterback’s going to be. We’re not guessing who the leader’s going to be.”
In Sutton and Hamilton, the Broncos finally have receivers who can not only take pressure off Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders but also apply some pressure to the veteran starters who were smothered by D-backs last season.
”Adding those two young guys, they’re going to help us,” Joseph said. ”In this league it’s about matchups, it’s about getting 1-on-1s. When you have two guys and you have no tight end threat, not halfback threat, the defense can easily bracket those two guys.
”When you have three and you have a guy like Jake Butt in the slot, it’s going to be hard for teams to do that.”
Butt missed his rookie season while recovering from ACL surgery, which caused him to slip into the fifth round in the 2017 NFL draft. But the Broncos believe that if he can stay healthy, his presence is like adding a first-round talent to the offense.
The Broncos jettisoned veteran C.J. Anderson in the offseason in a cost-cutting move Womens Adrian Peterson Jersey , leaving a group of running backs long on promise but short on experience, including rookies Freeman, David Williams and Philip Lindsay along with second-year pro De’Angelo Henderson and third-year pro Devontae Booker.
”It’s a young group, but I like that,” Joseph said. ”From a halfback perspective, you want guys who are young because that means they are healthy. Healthy. Willing. Open-minded.”
Notes: Joseph said it’s up to WR Carlos Henderson, who failed to report to camp, whether he has a future in Denver: ”He’s having some family problems right now and it’s strictly on Carlos whether he wants to continue to play football.” … Joseph said LG Ron Leary (knee) and RT Veldheer (foot) will both be eased into the lineup. The only player on PUP will be WR Jordan Taylor, still recovering from hip surgeries.
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26.09.2018 10:15
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