Everyone loves a good revenge story. Hell, Liam Neeson has made a movie career out of it.
From Batman to “The Big Payback” to BuzzFeed clickbait about vengeful exes, we eat up tales of retribution. And as sports bettors, we may enjoy a good revenge spot a little too much.
I’ve always been cautious when calculating revenge into my wagers, especially when it comes to my NFL betting picks. While the media will muckle on to a revenge storyline with foaming jaws (see: last Sunday Night Football), I question just how much extra a potential revenge plot can push a team.
In college sports, sure. We’re talking about 19-year-olds who want to pick a fight if someone scuffs their Yeezys. Revenge is like throwing Jägermeister on the fire with those kids. But for professional athletes, whose livelihoods ride on every snap of the football, revenge may not provide the same ramp-up – and it sure as hell isn’t going to carry a team over the spread.
However, every once in a while, there’s a loss that sticks so sorely in the craw of a team that they’re counting down the days until they can exact their sweet, sweet revenge. That leads us to the Buffalo Bills and my favorite NFL Week 5 underdog picks.
