The Cardinals, Chiefs and Panthers all won double-digit games in 2013. The Cards were competitive in the NFL’s toughest division, and the Panthers and Chiefs each made the postseason.
However, Nevada oddsmaker CG Technology appears willing to risk that those clubs will not play nearly as well in 2014 as they did a season ago.
CG (formerly Cantor Gaming) released its regular-season win total props last week – wagers where bettors can choose whether a team will go OVER or UNDER a certain number of victories. And of the 32 NFL teams listed at CG, only the Cardinals, Chiefs and Panthers had regular-season win totals at least three games lower than their number of 2013 regular-season wins.
The Panthers, who were 12-4 in 2013, have a 2014 win total of 8.5 at the CG sports books. The Chiefs (11-5 last season) check in at eight wins at the CG books.
The Cardinals, meanwhile, have a 2014 win total of just seven after finishing 10-6 in 2013. In short, those who want to take the Cardinals to go OVER the CG win total just have to hope for an 8-8 record.
That seems like a low bar for Arizona to clear.
Right?
Well, the Cardinals do have to face the 49ers and Seahawks twice next season, and they were a combined 1-3 against the NFC West’s best a season ago. What’s more, the Cardinals merely split a pair of games against the Rams, giving Arizona a 2-4 division record. If the Cardinals can’t improve on that record, they would have to go at least 6-4 in their non-division slate to reach .500.
It’s important to note that win total props are a reflection of how oddsmakers believe a team will be viewed by the betting public. While the props take into account oddsmaker expectations for the clubs, the bets are tailored to reflect expectations of how bettors will wager upon these teams.
One example: the Texans, who were 2-14 last season, have a win total of 8.5.
Let’s suppose the Texans had a win total of, say, 4.5. Well, you would probably have to get in line to back Houston at that price — and it probably wouldn’t be on the board for long.
Here are CG’s 2014 win totals for each NFL team:
49ers, Broncos, Seahawks: 11 wins
Packers, Patriots: 10 wins.
Saints: 9.5 wins.
Bengals, Colts, Steelers: 9 wins.
Bears, Eagles, Panthers, Ravens, Texans: 8.5 wins
Chargers, Chiefs, Cowboys, Falcons, Lions: 8 wins
Dolphins: 7.5 wins
Cardinals, Giants, Redskins: 7 wins
Bills, Browns, Buccaneers, Jets, Rams, Titans, Vikings: 6.5 wins.
Raiders: 5 wins.
Jaguars: 4.5 wins.