What Does a Minus Sign Mean in Football Betting Spreads? It‘s Not Actually a Negative Score!
As a seasoned football gaming guru, let me start out by emphatically stating: a negative score is impossible in football. Teams can only have positive points totals.
However, you will routinely see minus signs next to teams in football betting lines. This does not signify a negative score. Rather, it refers to the point spread – a mechanism used by oddsmakers to balance action on both sides of a contest.
Let me break down everything you need to know about point spreads and what that minus sign means!
Point Spreads Balance the Action
As a quick primer, a point spread sets a margin of victory that the favored team has to exceed for bets on them to payout. Spreads make uneven matches more exciting to wager on.
Consider this real line:
Kansas City Chiefs -7 (-110)
Denver Broncos +7 (-110) Here the Chiefs are -7 point favorites. For folks betting Kansas City to win their wager, the Chiefs need to win by over 7 points. Denver backers win their bets if the Broncos lose by fewer than 7 points or pull the upset.
The spread creates an equal playing field betting-wise. KC doesn‘t just need victory – they need to dominate by 8+ points.
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Minus Sign Marks the Favorite
When you see a minus sign, like with Kansas City above as -7 point faves, this simply indicates:
The team with the minus is expected to win the game outright. Oddsmakers have dubbed them the favorite.
Conversely, a plus sign denotes the underdog. Going back to our example:
Chiefs -7
Broncos +7Denver has a plus sign – they are 7 point dogs. As ‘dogs, they don‘t need victory to cash wagers…just need to avoid losing by more than a touchdown.
So that‘s what the minus denotes – favorite status as deemed by the oddsmakers. It is not suggesting Kansas City will rack up a negative score! They still tally points the regular way and cannot have a negative total.
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Large Point Spreads Reveal Perceived Mismatch
As a sports gaming specialist, point spreads represent how lopsided oddsmakers consider a contest. The larger the spread, the bigger the expected talent disparity.
For example, back in 2016, the New England Patriots played the lowly Cleveland Browns:
Patriots -10
Browns +10 The Pats as 10 point chalk shows oddsmakers deemed New England way better than Cleveland. The minus sign marked heavy favorite status.
Of course the Browns didn‘t accrue negative scoring – but being +10 underdogs illustrates Cleveland had almost no shot for outright victory based on the talent gap.
Here is a breakdown of some real NFL point spreads and what they indicate:
| Matchup | Point Spread | What It Shows |
|---|---|---|
| Chiefs -3 over 49ers | Slight KC edge | |
| Eagles -7 over Texans | Solid Eagles advantage expected | |
| Bills -12.5 over Bears | Massive Buffalo edge |
As you can see, the larger the spread…the bigger the talent gap expected by oddsmakers!
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Why Real-World Scoring Margin Must Exceed Spread
Spreads set thresholds for favorites and underdogs. The actual margin of victory must surpass the spread for wagers to cash:
- Faves must win by > the spread to cover
- Dogs must lose by < the spread to cover
For example, let‘s revisit our hypothetical Chiefs -7, Broncos +7 matchup.
If KC prevailed 23-13, they‘d win by 10 points. Since 10 is > 7 point spread, Chiefs bets would cash while Denver backers would lose.
Conversely, if Denver lost 21-17, they‘d only lose by 4 points. That‘s < 7 point spread, so Broncos backers would celebrate while KC bettors suffered defeat.
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Final Thoughts – Minuses Don‘t Equal Negative Scoring
I hope this shed light on what the minus sign means in NFL betting. To summarize:
- Minus means favorite status
- It denotes the spread, not a negative score
- Real-world scoring always remains positive
Please hit me up on Twitter @NFL_InsiderGuy with any other football gaming questions! I‘m always happy to share insights and the latest updates with fellow passionate punters.
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