Patrick Mahomes and Dan Campbell have the best of both worlds in sports betting. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
NFL betting hack
Betting on Dan Campbell and Patrick Mahomes against the spread has proven to be the closest thing to free money there is in NFL sports betting.
She remained as consistent as ever
The NFL playoffs are often the toughest time of year to get a chance to get ahead of oddsmakers, who have a full season of data to help determine their lines. But despite unexpected ups and downs and crushing disappointments, these two men remained as steadfast as ever.
While Campbell and Mahomes look to continue their record-setting ways, it’s difficult to fully appreciate the extent of their success. But we tried.
Dan Campbell’s record pace
The Lions hired Campbell on January 21, 2021, tasking him with returning their struggling franchise to relevance. The Lions have endured a winless season this century and have not won a playoff game since 1992.
Although the results did not change immediately, Campbell quickly established a culture of toughness and flexibility with a palpable level of excitement. Detroit improved its win total each year with Campbell leading it from three to nine to 12 wins, finally reaching the playoffs as the third seed this year.
Best spread record of any coach since the 1970 merger
Although the former third-round pick in the 1999 NFL Draft was just 26-26-1 during his tenure in Detroit, he went an incredible 36-17 (68%) against the spread. According to ESPN Stats & Information, this is the best spread record of any coach since the 1970 merger with at least three seasons of coaching experience.
The Lions have also finished each of the last three seasons in the top four in terms of results spread, and have won a career-best 68.4% of their league games this season.
Detroit’s epic performances weren’t complete surprises either. They have been favored in 16 of 19 games this season and have still found a way to go 11-5 (68.8%) ATS as a favorite.
Campbell’s next task will be to knock off the San Francisco 49ers, the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Although he probably doesn’t care about the betting odds, he and Detroit enter as seven-point favorites against a team that goes 13-4 (9-9 ATS).
Patrick Mahomes owns the spread
And in the AFC, Mahomes continues to blur all expectations of what any athlete can do.
Even after Tom Brady’s incredible dominance, Mahomes has somehow managed to put together an even more impressive resume at this point in his career. With their win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, he has now reached the AFC Championship Series in all six seasons he has been the starting quarterback.
8-3 straight up and 9-1-1 ATS in his career as an underdog
Not only is Mahomes a genuine winner, he’s a sports bettor’s dream. The outright win over Buffalo as a three-point underdog helped them improve to 8-3 straight up and 9-1-1 ATS in their career as an underdog.
Smart bettors will know that live betting can be very profitable – next time Mahomes falls behind early in the game, it’s worth taking a look at his live odds.
Thanks to his brilliance, combined with the consistency of coach Andy Reid and the playmaking of Travis Kelce, Mahomes has gone 8-2 straight when trailing by seven or more points in the playoffs. Both losses were to Brady, who seems eager to make his latest retirement his last.
Bettors have an immediate opportunity to view Mahomes as an underdog heading into Sunday afternoon’s game, as the Chiefs are 3.5-point underdogs on the road against the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens.
