"Oddsmakers -- and some respected bettors -- seemed to believe Jackson would be back, too. The Ravens opened as 6.5-point home favorites over the Chicago Bears and grew to minus-7.5 on Friday at ESPN BET. Up to that point, approximately two-thirds of the bets and money wagered was on the underdog Bears plus the points. Elsewhere, though, sportsbooks such as the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas and Caesars Sportsbook reported receiving bets on the Ravens from sharp bettors."
"Then Saturday arrived and threw a massive wrench into everything. That morning, reports emerged that Jackson had, in fact, led the scout team offense during Friday's practice, indicating he would not start Sunday's game. Baltimore retroactively changed Jackson's Friday participation to limited before ruling him out for the game and announcing that Tyler Huntley would start. The sportsbooks' responses were swift."
The Baltimore Ravens began the season as Super Bowl co-favorites but struggled against the spread, losing and failing to cover in five of their first six games. Lamar Jackson missed two games with a hamstring injury, practiced progressively during the week and was given a questionable tag heading into the weekend. Early betting markets and some oddsmakers reflected expectations of his return, with the Ravens opening as sizable favorites and significant action on both sides. Late Saturday reports showed Jackson led scout-team work and was retroactively downgraded and ruled out, prompting swift sportsbook line moves and bettor reactions.
Read at ESPN.com
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