When it comes to NFL betting, there’s no such thing as a sure thing. No matter how big the favorite, the possibility exists that an underdog will have its day.
That was on full display in NFL Week 9 odds. And one high-rolling DraftKings Sportsbook customer nailed a big win because of it, while another made a six-figure donation to the house.
More on those bets, other major wagers and profitable parlays in NFL and college football betting this past weekend.
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Upset Specials
Minnesota was a 9.5-point underdog at Detroit on Sunday. Correspondingly, the Vikings were +380 underdogs on the moneyline, to pull the outright upset.
That’s a nice potential payout, particularly on a big-dollar bet. At DraftKings, a customer put $60,000 on Minnesota moneyline.
The Vikes fell behind 7-0 less than three minutes in, which is what pretty much everyone expected. But J.J. McCarthy & Co. responded with their own TD two minutes later, then another late in the first quarter to go up 14-7.
The Vikings never trailed after that point and went on to a 27-24 upset. So the bettor banked a hefty $228,000 profit, for a total payout of $288,000.
But keep in mind, sports betting is gambling. The sportsbook giveth, and the sportsbook taketh away.
Before Sunday’s Panthers vs. Packers game, a high-roller put a massive $200,000 on Green Bay -12.5 (-118) at DraftKings. That’s a lot of points to lay in an NFL game, even with the Packers on home turf and seen as one of the league’s best teams.
Green Bay needed to win by 13 or more. As it turned out, the Packers could only score 13 points, never mind win by 13 points. The Panthers sprung a 16-13 upset, winning on a 49-yard field goal as time expired.
So that’s $200K sent to DK’s coffers. Based solely on point spread, it was the biggest upset of the 2025 NFL season.
Perhaps Carolina is no longer the doormat it has been in recent years. The Panthers are 5-4 straight up (SU) — matching the Kansas City Chiefs at the moment — and are money-making 6-3 against the spread (ATS).
In-Game Win Game
Sometimes, you just want to wait until after a game kicks off to get a better feel for what you’d like to bet. Or perhaps you’re just waiting for better odds.
Whatever the case, a Caesars Sports customer struck big with a three-leg in-game moneyline parlay Sunday. During the early window of games, the bettor put $250 on:
- Panthers moneyline +800 vs. Packers
- Bears moneyline -110 vs. Bengals
- Vikings moneyline +700 vs. Lions
Add up those odds, and you’ve got +13645. Or in easier-to-digest terms, a little over 136/1.
As noted above, the Panthers delivered the upset of the season, and Vikings moneyline got there in upset fashion, as well.
The Bears ended up being the wild card of the bunch.
Chicago led Cincinnati 41-27 with 4:53 remaining and seemed certain to win. But the Bears gave up a touchdown and 2-point conversion, then failed to cover an onside kick, leading to another Cincy TD.
So with 54 seconds left, the Bears were losing 42-41. But Caleb Williams and Colston Loveland saved the day on a 58-yard catch-and-run, giving Chicago a 47-42 victory.
The bettor bagged a profit of $34,113.60. Not a bad day’s work.
Here’s Hoping You Had It
It’s not all about making big bets or cashing out huge on 10-leg parlays — which, just to be clear, is rare. Sometimes it’s about putting 10 bucks on a single straight bet, backing a long shot or semi-long shot, and getting brilliant ROI.
If you had an affinity for Drake London touchdowns Sunday, then you got paid. The wideout scored all three of Atlanta’s TDs against New England, nearly getting the Falcons to overtime.
Alas, Atlanta lost 24-23, in large part due to a missed extra point after London’s third score, with 4:40 remaining.
At FanDuel Sportsbook, London was +15000 — that’s 150/1 — to score three or more TDs. If you’d just tossed 10 bucks on that, then your wallet would be $1,500 fatter this week.
Bet Big, Win Small
There’s been a trend this season, particularly in college football, of big bettors placing moneyline wagers on hefty favorites. That happened again in college football Week 10 odds.
At DraftKings, Ohio State was -1200 on the moneyline vs. a reeling Penn State squad. That means it would take a $1,200 bet just to win $100.
A DK customer decided to go much larger than that, putting $100,000 on Buckeyes -1200.
As expected, Ohio State rolled to a 38-14 home victory. And the bettor profited all of $8,333.33 (total payout $108,333.33). But it’s 8.33% profit, which most of us would take with our 401k, I suppose.
Big Prop Pop
A DraftKings customer took a swing on anytime TD scorers in Sunday night’s Seahawks-Commanders tilt. The bettor put $5,000 on Cody White to find the end zone, at odds of +950.
That paid out nicely during Sam Darnold’s huge first half. The Seattle QB went a perfect 13-for-13, with four TD passes in the first 30 minutes.
The last of those was a 60-yard connection with White to make it 28-0. The bettor turned a profit of $47,500 (total payout $52,500).
I Like Big Bets and I Cannot Lie
Major wagers were flying all weekend long on NFL Week 9 odds and college football Week 10 odds. As noted above, a $200,000 Packers bet went begging.
But that wasn’t the biggest donation to the house. A DraftKings customer put a whopping $300,000 on Patriots -4.5 (-118) vs. the Falcons.
Also, as noted above, Atlanta got a late TD to make it 24-23, and that was the final score, as well. So the Falcons covered to sink that major wager.
Other big plays from the weekend:
- $115,000 Ravens -7 vs. Dolphins (DraftKings). With Lamar Jackson back, Baltimore easily covered the spread in a 28-6 road victory.
- $86,400 Broncos-Texans Over 40.5 points (Caesars). That game featured six field goals — five from Houston, one from Denver — and the Broncos won 18-15. So that’s a losing ticket.
- $71,200 Bengals +2.5 vs. Bears (DraftKings). That bettor probably felt great when Cincy rallied to go up 42-41 with 54 seconds left. Then not so much when Chicago got a 58-yard TD to win 47-42.
- $50,000 Raiders +130 moneyline vs. Jaguars (DraftKings). The Raiders went for 2 after a final-second overtime touchdown, and didn’t convert, losing 30-29.
- $50,000 Vanderbilt moneyline +140 vs. Texas (DraftKings). The Commodores rallied from a 34-10 fourth-quarter deficit, but fell short of the upset 34-31.
So some big-bankroll bettors had a bust of a weekend, which is a good reminder that these high-rollers can afford to lose big bets.
You and me? Not so much.
Keep your wagers and your expectations reasonable. Never bet more than you can afford to lose.
Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He’s based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on Twitter: @PatrickE_Vegas.
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