What Bookies Don't Want You to Know About NFL Underdogs

When the Denver Broncos lined up against the Jacksonville Jaguars last weekend, the question for gamblers wasn’t whether the Broncos would win, but rather by how many points they would pummel the lowly Jaguars. Bookmakers predicted that this margin, known as the “spread”, would be 28 points—the largest in the history of the National Football League (NFL). When the clock hit 0:00, the Broncos were up by only 16 points.