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Betting by the numbers: NFL point spreads tightest in Super Bowl era

It's been a rough start to the NFL season for the American betting public. However, Week 5 brought change, a bevy of short point spreads and a shift in the public's fortunes.

Week 5 began with a string of eight straight favorites winning outright. Seven of them covered the spread, and Baltimore Ravens RB Derrick Henry and New York Jets WR Garrett Wilson -- the two most-bet players to score touchdowns at ESPN BET -- both found the end zone. After the early seven-game slate wrapped up on Sunday, sportsbooks were in a hole.