NFL Teams Driving Bettors Crazy This Season

In the wild and wacky world of NFL gambling, it's sometimes not enough for a team to just win the game.

In fact, there's a wonderful expression that sums up the gambler's dilemma: "Good teams win, great teams cover."

Any card-carrying member of #TeamDegenerate knows exactly what that means. When you wager your hard-earned money on a team—in this instance, the squad that's favored by Vegas to win—emerging from the game victorious isn't enough. You need that particular team to win by enough points to cover the spread, ergo the expression.

There's nothing worse than gambling on a favorite and watching as they fall behind early, knowing that they'll eventually claw back into the game and probably win outright but fall short of covering the spread (every gambler reading this is nodding vigorously). Once covering the spread is no longer in the cards, I will root for that team to lose outright, because hey, misery loves company, right? Right? Bueller?

Anyway, there are two shining examples of the gambling mantra "Good teams win, great teams cover" from the 2014 NFL season:

• In Week 1, the Denver Broncos hosted the Indianapolis Colts; the Broncos were favored by 7.5 points. Denver built a big lead throughout the game but had to withstand a furious rally engineered by Colts quarterback Andrew Luck that left the final score at 31-24, Broncos. Any bettor who played the Broncos (my hand is raised) was left devastated by the result. In that contest, Denver proved to be a good team (because they won), but not a great one (because they didn't cover).
• This past Sunday, the Seattle Seahawks were favored by five points in their Super Bowl rematch with the Broncos. Despite holding an eight-point lead late in the game, Seattle allowed the Broncos to score a touchdown and two-point conversion in the closing moments, sending the game to overtime. But the Seahawks managed to score a touchdown on the opening possession of the extra period, winning by six and covering the spread. If the Seahawks had won by three, they'd merely be a good team; but since they won by six, they're a great one.

In gambling, it's all about covering the spread. When you play an underdog with the points, you don't care if that team loses—you just want them to lose by the right number of points so you can cash in your bet. If you bet the Titans as 7.5-point dogs and they lose by seven, you celebrate! But if they lose by eight or more, you're left cursing into your beer and pondering the meaning of life (OK, maybe that's just me).

With three weeks of the 2014 NFL season already in the books, franchises are starting to establish themselves as either "good" or great" against the spread, with some earning the dubious distinction of "I wouldn't bet on them if my life depended on it."

Here are the NFL teams driving bettors crazy this season.

Denver Broncos (2-1, 0-3 ATS)

To all members of #TeamDegenerate reading this: Ask one of your friends that doesn't gamble if he/she thinks the Broncos would be a safe team to bet on or not.

I guarantee that person says yes. 

After all, the Broncos employ the great Peyton Manning at quarterback. They're the defending AFC champions and are the clear favorite to represent the conference in this year's Super Bowl.

In theory, it's a viable train of thought.

But in reality, it's one that will help fund the construction of the next Vegas casino.

The Broncos are 2-1, but have yet to cover the spread in any of their three games. They have been a complete and utter gambling dud.

I've already detailed their horrifying non-cover in Week 1, which was painful enough that I find myself having a recurring nightmare in which coach John Fox won't stop calling running plays despite employing one of the finest quarterbacks of all time.

In Week 2, the Broncos were 12.5-point favorites against the Kansas City Chiefs and had to hold on for a 24-17 victory. Once again, bettors who backed the Broncos found themselves out of luck.

And in Week 3, Denver stuck the knife into its bettors and twisted, all while wearing a smirk of enjoyment. As five-point underdogs, the Broncos tied the game against the Seahawks in the closing seconds, only to allow a touchdown in overtime to lose by six.

The Broncos are currently on bye, so they'll have a chance to collect themselves for the remaining 13 games. But thus far, they've been atrocious against the spread.

Green Bay Packers (1-2, 0-3 ATS)

Much like the Broncos, the Green Bay Packers entered the 2014 season with Super Bowl aspirations, and when a team is talked up all offseason, it makes the public salivate at the prospect of wagering on them.

In Week 1, quarterback Aaron Rodgers' supposed "high-powered offense" ran into a juggernaut in Seattle and failed to cover the spread.

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

In Week 2, the Packers closed at 7.5-point favorites in a home contest against the New York Jets. For the readers that wagered on the Packers in this game, I truly apologize for bringing it up, because this was surely an agonizing defeat.

The Jets raced out to an early lead, immediately crushing the hopes of Packers bettors, only for Green Bay to come storming back in the second half...but only win by seven points. On that day, the Packers were good, but not great.

And last week, the Packers were a chic pick as 2.5-point dogs in Detroit. If you had told any gambler before the game that the Packers would hold the Lions to 19 points, they would have fallen all over themselves in an effort to bet their mortgage on the boys from Green Bay.

But, of course, the Packers offense somehow managed to score only seven points, which was so ridiculous that Vegas should have offered a refund.

This week, the Packers are 1.5-point favorites in Chicago, and a victory could erase the early-season ill will felt by bettors. 

Unless, of course, that triumph comes by only one point.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-3, 0-3 ATS)

Remember when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were being trumpeted as a potential playoff team before the season?

To paraphrase Jim Mora: Playoffs? They can't even cover a spread, and you're talking about playoffs?

The Buccaneers have been absolutely brutal. The offense stinks, the defense can't tackle and coach Lovie Smith looks like he's auditioning for the titular role in the new Weekend at Bernie's. 

In Week 1, Tampa Bay was a four-point favorite at home against the Cam Newton-less Carolina Panthers. And of course, backup quarterback Derek Anderson led the Panthers to an outright victory over the Bucs.

In Week 2, the Bucs faced their second consecutive backup quarterback to open up the season, as the St. Louis Rams trotted out undrafted rookie "Stone Cold" Austin Davis; the Bucs were six-point favorites. And in Davis' first start, he proved that Austin 3:16 says "I just covered the spread," leading a game-winning drive to further the misery of Bucs backers.

And in Week 3, the rotten cherry was placed atop the spoiled sundae, as the Bucs, who were 6.5-point underdogs last Thursday night in Atlanta, managed to lose 56-14. That's not a typo. 

Tampa Bay has proved to be something of a Bermuda Triangle: Where your money disappears, never to be found again.

The one silver lining for Bucs bettors is that Mike Glennon will start at quarterback this week against the Steelers, and a spark could potentially be provided.

But thus far, it's very hard to place trust in Tampa Bay, given its horrendous 0-3 mark against the spread.

Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3, 0-3 ATS)

Ah, those plucky Jacksonville Jaguars.

Coming into the season, the Jaguars were talked up as a much-improved unit. "They might not be playoff ready," some said, "but they're going to be competitive!"

Yeah. And Kate Upton was at my apartment last night.

In Week 1, the Jaguars were getting 10.5 points in Philadelphia. Many (including the dumbass writing this column) felt that was way too many points and played the Jaguars. Of course, we felt like gambling sorcerers when the Jags raced out to a 17-0 lead, but it wasn't to be, as the Eagles then scored 34 (34!!) unanswered points to win and cover.

In Week 2, the Jaguars were six-point underdogs at Washington. The Redskins blew their doors off.

And this past Sunday, the Jaguars were given seven points at home against Indianapolis, and managed to lose 44-17.

Like the Buccaneers, the Jaguars will be trotting out a new quarterback on Sunday, with rookie Blake Bortles making his first NFL start. That might be the spark the Jaguars need to start covering spreads, but at this point, they're a very hard team to wager on.

New Orleans Saints (1-2, 1-2 ATS)

The New Orleans Saints came into the 2014 season with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations, buoyed by a high-powered offense led by quarterback Drew Brees.

The style of game the Saints play is very attractive to bettors, with coach Sean Payton seemingly running up the score as if trying to qualify for a BCS bowl game. So it's no surprise that the Saints have been heavily wagered on in all three of their games this season.

Bill Haber/Associated Press

Of course, they've only covered one of the three contests.

In Week 1, the Saints were favored by three points in Atlanta, and despite holding an early lead and all the momentum, they crashed and burned down the stretch, losing outright.

In Week 2, they were six-point favorites on the road against the Browns, and their woes away from home continued, as they lost outright.

And last week, they finally got off the gambling schneid, barely covering the spread as 10-point favorites at home against the Vikings with an 11-point victory.

The Saints have been maddening thus far. Always expected to win and score bunches of points in doing so, they've been a major letdown. 

Have a funny bad beat story involving one of these teams? Tweet Nick here and let him know!