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Sports betting roundup: NFL regular season ends and playoffs start this weekend

The 2025 NFL regular season is over and the playoffs start this weekend.

Week 18 saw a few games come down to the wire, highlighted by a Sunday Night Football game between the Steelers and Ravens that decided the AFC North champion.

Here’s a look at how things played out from a sports betting perspective:

Trends of the Week

Favorites went 8-6 straight up Sunday at the BetMGM online sportsbook. The Ravens-Steelers game was the most bet game overall, followed by the Bears and Lions.

Pittsburgh, which was a 3.5-point underdog, came away with a 26-24 win to win the division and grab the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoffs. They took in 54% of the bets and 42% of the money. The Steelers will host Houston next Monday night.

Minnesota (-10.5 vs. Packers) was the most bet team to cover on Sunday. They won 16-3, covering the spread. The Vikings ended the year on a five-game winning streak, covering the spread in all five games.

Upsets of the Week

The biggest upset in the NFL on Sunday was the Browns’ 20-18 win over the Bengals as 7.5-point underdogs. Cincinnati took in 72% of the bets and 83% of the money. Another upset was the Raiders beating the Chiefs 14-12 as 4.5-point underdogs. Kansas City took in 65% of the bets and 72% of the money.

Coming Up

The College Football Playoff semifinals will be on Thursday and Friday.

On Thursday, Miami will take on Mississippi as 3.5-point favorites. On Friday, Indiana will take on Oregon as four-point favorites.

As of Monday, Indiana is the favorite to win the national championship at +130, with Oregon and Miami next at +300 and Ole Miss at +600.

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This column was provided to The Associated Press by BetMGM online sportsbook.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports

Maxx Crosby calls nixed Ravens trade ‘water under the bridge’ as he refocuses on Raiders

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Raiders star pass rusher Maxx Crosby said Wednesday he has moved on since his trade to Baltimore was nixed in March by the Ravens, and his focus is on getting ready for another season in Las Vegas. “It's water under the bridge,” Crosby said in his first comments to Las Vegas reporters. "It's a long time ago. A lot of things I learned about what's going on and what this league can bring. A lot of adversity, a lot of different things you can't really anticipate. But I've been through a lot in my life. It's nothing to me. “I'm here and I want to be here and I'm excited to be here. I've got a lot of work to do.” The Raiders had agreed to send Crosby to the Ravens for two first-round draft picks on March 6, but Baltimore backed out four days later. That decision to exit the deal was made a day before the new NFL year when deals can be finalized.
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