The Loop
Vegas releases a super early — and eye-popping — over/under total for Rams vs. Chiefs
Icon Sportswire
In an extremely unusual move, Westgate Las Vegas Superbook released lines for the Rams-Chiefs game three weeks in advance. The offering also featured a record-breaking over/under total.
Westgate made the lines public on Wednesday for the highly anticipated Week 11 matchup in the NFL on the eve of Week 8 kicking off. Los Angeles is currently 7-0, while the Chiefs are 6-1. The two teams will meet on a neutral field in Mexico City on Nov. 19, and to say it's expected to be a high-scoring affair would be an understatement.
The Rams opened as a three-point favorite, but it's the eye-popping over/under — in addition to the early release — that had everyone talking. The 63.5-point total would be the highest in NFL history.
The previous record was 60 for a Christmas Day meeting between the Chiefs and the Raiders in 2004. Kansas City wound up winning on a last-second field goal that also made the over hit.
In Week 6, the Chiefs and the New England Patriots nearly matched that record with a pre-game 59-point total. That Sunday night game went way over as the host Patriots edged the Chiefs 43-40, handing Kansas City its lone loss of the season thus far.
Led by the emergence of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs are currently averaging an NFL-best 37.1 points per game. The Rams' own MVP candidate, running back Todd Gurley, has been the driving force behind L.A.'s 33.6 points per game.
Earlier in the week, Westgate made the Rams a 8-to-5 favorite to win Super Bowl LIII. The Chiefs and Patriots are tied for the second-best odds at 11-2.
But again, this game is still THREE weeks away. Wagering on it now would almost feel like waiting for a season-long prop bet to hit. It's a genius move, though, to get these lines out now. There will be action. And eventually, there will be points. Lots of points.
At least, we think. And in the meantime, gamblers have plenty of time to make a field trip to Mexico City to scout the field conditions at Estadio Azteca.