Can you remember the last time you saw a betting line for an NFL game change by nine points in one day? I don’t, but that’s what happened with the Dallas Cowboys-Philadelphia Eagles line on Monday.
The Cowboys opened on Sunday night as -2.5 point favorites at home against Philly. It’s a huge game between the teams as the winner takes the NFC East, and the initial line had the Cowboys favored at home.
By the time most other sportsbooks set their lines for the game on Monday around noon, the Eagles were favored by 2.5 or 3 points (full line movement here). Hours after the news that Tony Romo would be out the rest of the season with a herniated disc broke, the betting line was readjusted with the Eagles listed as 7-point favorites.
To recap:
– Cowboys favored by 2.5 points Sunday night
– Eagles favored by 2.5-3 points Monday afternoon
– Eagles changed to 7 point favorites Monday evening after Romo news
That’s some major line movement, and it leaves some questions. Here’s my biggest question: did the line move from Dallas by 2.5 to Philly by 2.5 (a 5-point swing is huge) because the wiseguys thought Philly was the better team, or because they knew about Romo’s status? How deep in the know are they? I wouldn’t doubt it if they had the news before the rest of us.
All I know is that if you got the Eagles +2.5, you’re looking pretty good right now. We’ll see how the $10-million backup Kyle Orton does in place of Romo.
Tip via Geno
