Everything that happens in sports has some additional context when viewed from a sports betting perspective. From season-changing injuries to record-setting moments and so much more, the sports news cycle will constantly and significantly affect the sports betting industry.
Our betting buzz file, with contributions from David Purdum, Doug Greenberg and others, aims to provide fans a look at the sports betting stories that are driving the conversation.
Key links: Sports betting home | NFL odds page | College football odds page | ESPN BET 
Dec. 23: Packers favored by most points since 2012 on MNF
Doug Greenberg: When they play in a division with the Detroit Lions (13-2) and Minnesota Vikings (13-2), who are competing with each other for the NFC's top seed, it's easy to forget that the Green Bay Packers have quietly been an elite NFL team this season, sporting a 10-4 record that is fourth best in the conference.
Sportsbooks are rewarding them with a 14.5-point spread as a home favorite for Monday night's game against the bottom-dwelling New Orleans Saints, tied for the second largest of the season. Spreads of -14.5 or more have seen the favorites go 2-1 ATS. It's also the first time the Packers have been favored by 14 points or more since Week 8 of the 2012 season, meaning this will be the largest favorite role of Jordan Love's career.
Bettors largely aren't intimidated by the large number, as BetMGM, DraftKings and ESPN BET all report a majority of bets and handle backing the Packers' spread. RB Josh Jacobs is an overwhelming -350 favorite to score a touchdown, per ESPN BET, but the books still report him as the most-bet player in that market for Monday night.
Green Bay continues to lurk along the periphery of the Super Bowl oddsboard, ranking seventh at +1400 at ESPN BET, which also matches its rank in action. However, the Packers are the second-most-bet team to win the NFC at the sportsbook, attracting 18.3% of the tickets and 24.3% of the handle, despite showing the fourth-shortest odds at +700.
Dec. 22: Eagles lose grip on Super Bowl odds with upset loss
Doug Greenberg: Everything was trending in the Philadelphia Eagles' direction going into Week 16: The team had won 10 games in a row, going 7-3 against the spread over that period, and was a Super Bowl favorite for the first time all season, showing +400 odds on ESPN BET entering Sunday.
Then, early in Sunday's contest at the Washington Commanders, quarterback Jalen Hurts left the game with a concussion and did not return, leaving Kenny Pickett to try to lead the Eagles to victory. Instead, the Commanders came from behind to win 36-33 and keep Washington's hopes of winning the NFC East alive.
It was one of the few wins for the sportsbooks on Sunday, as Eagles -4 was a top-three most-backed spread at BetMGM, DraftKings and ESPN BET. Other than that, favorites went 5-2 ATS in the Sunday early slate and 10-4 ATS since Week 16 began, making for a big week for the favorite-backing betting public.
"There are seven home underdogs in NFL Week 16, and the sportsbook will look for a few dogs to cover," BetMGM senior trading manager Tristan Davis said via email Sunday morning.
Philadelphia's loss immediately dropped it down the Super Bowl odds board, as it showed +475 on ESPN BET as of early Sunday evening.
As for Hurts, concussions have a notoriously unpredictable recovery period, meaning the quarterback could theoretically be back for Philly's next game against the Dallas Cowboys, or he could be sidelined multiple weeks. ESPN BET director of North American sports trading Adrian Horton said that Hurts' absence from the lineup would account for "just over a field goal" difference on the spread for Week 17.
Super Bowl contenders movement
A BetMGM representative told ESPN via email that its trading team values potential home-field advantage heavily when handicapping Super Bowl odds, so while Hurts' status may or may not be factored into that, the Eagles' loss inherently gave them a worse chance of attaining the NFC's top seed, leading to their fall down the odds board.
Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions handily covered a seven-point favorite spread in their 34-17 win over the Chicago Bears, Detroit's 10th consecutive cover following a loss. The victory was an integral piece of the public's big Sunday, with Davis saying before the contest that "the Bears pulling an upset would be the best outcome" for the sportsbook.
The Lions moved back into the championship odds lead at +400, tying the Kansas City Chiefs, who took care of business Saturday against the Houston Texans; each team is in line for its conference's respective top playoff seed.
The Buffalo Bills, by contrast, lengthened slightly to +425 following their 24-21 win over the New England Patriots, failing to cover the -14.5 spread. Buffalo had come into the week tied with Philadelphia for the shortest odds to win the Super Bowl.
Odds and ends
The San Francisco 49ers were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday after beginning the season with -500 odds to make the playoffs, the shortest for a team that ultimately did not make the playoffs since the 2015 Indianapolis Colts, who lost QB Andrew Luck midseason.
The Tennessee Titans lost and failed to cover +3.5 against the Colts, dropping their ATS record to 2-13. The Titans are just the third team in the Super Bowl era to start 2-13 ATS through 15 games (2007 Baltimore Ravens and 2001 St. Louis Rams).
Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs entered Sunday's game against the Bears with -350 odds to score a touchdown, tied with Derrick Henry for the shortest all season; he cashed the prop less than 10 minutes into the contest with a 1-yard run. Gibbs also had the highest rushing yards prop of the week (89.5), which he cashed with 109 yards.
The Los Angeles Rams cashed the over on their preseason win total (8.5), while the Patriots clinched the under on theirs (5.5).
Over the last two weeks, NFL favorites are 21-9 ATS.
See more:
College Football Playoff: Odds for quarterfinal games
MLB futures: Every team's odds to win the World Series