The already monstrous point spread for Sunday’s Jets-Patriots game is still growing. After holding steady much of Wednesday, the line creeped up a half-point late in the afternoon, with New England now favored by 23¹/₂ points at William Hill sportsbooks.
Nick Bogdanovich, William Hill’s director of trading, told The Post that even though Tuesday through Thursday are normally light days for NFL wagering, there were enough bets on the Patriots to move the number. He expects when the bigger money starts rolling in beginning Friday, “the masses will be on the Patriots.”
But while the spread could rise to 24 or even a little higher, it is not expected to challenge the largest NFL point spread ever, which is widely accepted to be the Steelers as 27-point favorites over the expansion, winless Buccaneers in 1976 (Pittsburgh covered in a 42-0 rout). More recently, the Broncos were 26¹/₂-point favorites in 2013 over the Jaguars, but failed to cover in a 35-19 victory.
Last week, the Patriots easily covered a spread that had grown as large as 19¹/₂ points, destroying the Dolphins, 43-0, in Miami. Bogdanovich said that result may have emboldened bettors to lay even bigger numbers this week in the Jets-Patriots and Cowboys-Dolphins games (Dallas is favored by 21¹/₂ points at William Hill.)