Chiefs, Jets AFC Best Against the Spread

The New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs have been successful against the spread this season.

The Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets have covered the spread more times than any other team in the AFC through the first nine weeks of the 2013 NFL season.

Both teams have produced a 6-3-0 ATS record as they have gone on to surprise many industry experts. The undefeated Chiefs have rebounded in style from a 2-14 season a year ago, while the Jets have emerged as a contender in the AFC East, something few expected going into the season.

This success against the spread has made both teams favorites with those betting the spread every weekend. At 5-2-1 ATS, the San Diego Chargers and Tennessee Titans follow closely in their wake.

At the other end of the spectrum, the AFC South pairing of the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars have struggled immensely against the spread, recording a 1-7-0 ATS record.

Betting the Spread: Teams Worth Backing

As we learned last week, the Dallas Cowboys are the NFL’s best team against the spread, a trend that remains despite the Cowboys failing to cover the spread this past weekend. At 7-2-0 ATS, the Cowboys are only marginally ahead of the Chiefs and Jets though.

Kansas City has also emerged as the AFC’s best team against the spread when playing on the road. The Chiefs have gone a perfect 4-0-0 ATS when playing away from Arrowhead Stadium, although there’s another team that can boast the same accolade. Tennessee has also compiled a 4-0-0 ATS record away from LP Field.

When it comes to playing at home, the Cincinnati Bengals currently trump all other AFC teams with a 4-0-0 ATS record at home. San Diego (3-0-0 ATS) is also perfect against the spread when playing at home, while the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots have both recorded 4-1-0 ATS records at home.

The Titans (2-0-1 ATS) currently have the best record when playing as a favorite, while the Indianapolis Colts (3-0-0 ATS) are perfect when considered the underdog.

Betting the Spread: Teams to Avoid

Houston and Jacksonville are both suffering horrific seasons, a fact which has translated to their respective records against the spread. Both sides are 1-7-0 ATS overall with a 0-4-0 ATS record at home and a 1-3-0 ATS record on the road. Neither should be trusted against the spread on any given Sunday.

Two other teams struggling this season are the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers. The AFC North duo have both recorded a 1-4-0 ATS record away from home, making them the AFC’s worst road teams against the spread. This dubious honor may only be a result of both teams having played one more game on the road than the Texans and Jaguars.

Houston (0-3-0 ATS) has also proven to be the AFC’s worst team against the spread when playing as the favorite, although it’s hard to imagine the team going into too many more games favored over their opponent.

Pittsburgh (0-3-0 ATS) has yet to cover the spread when considered the favorite, making it the AFC’ worst by percentage points. Meanwhile, Jacksonville has failed to cover seven times in eight games as the underdog.

AFC Spread Betting Trends (Week 1-9)

(Minimum of three appearances required to feature in any category)

Best ATS record (total): Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets (6-3-0)

Best ATS record (home): Cincinnati Bengals (4-0-0)

Best ATS record (road): Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans (4-0-0)

Best ATS record (favorite): Tennessee Titans (2-0-1)

Best ATS record (underdog): Indianapolis Colts (3-0-0)

Worst ATS record (total): Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars (1-7-0)

Worst ATS record (home): Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars (0-4-0)

Worst ATS record (road): Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers (1-4-0)

Worst ATS record (favorite): Houston Texans (0-3-0)

Worst ATS record (underdog): Pittsburgh Steelers (0-3-0)

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