There is no doubt that the NFL is the most popular sport in the United States. Millions of people tune in every Sunday and Monday night to watch their favorite teams compete. Bettors love to put money down on these games, and the Las Vegas sportsbooks love to take their action.
NFL betting odds are always changing, and that is especially true on Monday nights. With so much on the line, oddsmakers are always trying to make an accurate line. Here is a look at the latest betting odds for the Monday night games. Our MNF Odds page gives you the latest line for each game being played on Monday night. Along with the line, we also post the over/under and moneyline for each game.
In 1978, the 17½-point underdog Baltimore Colts beat the Patriots in New England SU by a score of 34-27, the record was set for biggest upset in MNF history; the mark still stands and 17½ remains the second-widest spread ever for an Monday night game…
Now into its second half-century of continuous broadcasting, Monday Night Football is not only the longest-running primetime tv show by a long stretch, it also makes for the most heavily-bet games during the NFL regular season.
Naturally, that 50 years’ worth of history makes for a rich mythology – and taken-for-granted assumptions that can really eat into the NFL bettor’s bankroll. Does the extra day of preparation favor the home team or does it level the playing field? Do underdogs play better than they normally would? And how about that East-to-West late-night factor; how much, if it all, can that factor into results.
Proper NFL bettors don’t fall prey to assumptions. One would do better to remember a few statistics revealing the realities of betting Monday Night Football. The numbers from 2005 to mid-2020 tell us that:
• Homefield advantage dissolves further. Home teams are 146-120 SU and just 126-132-8 ATS on Monday Night Football.
• Good betting opportunities are available in high point spreads. In games with point spreads of 9 or more, underdogs are predictably a poor 6-38 SU, but an impressive 27-16-1 ATS.
• The East-to-West disadvantage is also reduced. The seven Western or Mountain Time Zone-based teams (Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Rams, Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders, San Diego/”Los Angeles” Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks) are 50-57 SU/54-41-8 overall on Monday night; at home, these teams are 36-26 SU and 30-26-6 ATS.
• Defenses have time to prepare, too. Since 2005, the over on MNF is 125-139-4. And if you believe scoring is trending upward across the board, consider that, between 2014 and mid-2020, the over is 51-63.