When bookmakers started taking bets on the opening week of the N.F.L. season, they made the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers a comfortable 7-point favorite over the hapless Cleveland Browns. If anything, a quick look at the team’s recent histories might make the number seem low.
Then people started betting. And oddly enough, most of them wanted to bet on the Browns. The line went down to 5½, then 4, and then even 3½. Early wagerers thought the Browns could keep the game close, or maybe even win it.
What is going on? Surely the 0-16 Browns aren’t going to be competitive against the 13-3 Steelers?