When do games go over, and when is the cover settled?

Pick a season and week, then choose when the game went over to see those games. NFL games from the past four seasons with quarter scores and a closing line.

When did they go over?

94 games · 2026 · pick one to list those games
52% went over. Of the 49 overs, 4% had cashed by halftime and 18% by the end of the 3rd quarter. Covers were settled only in the 4th quarter or overtime in 26% of games.

Leader lost the game in the last 5 minutes: 11 games

2026 · newest first
GameLineTotalPoints by quarterOverCover settledFinal
2026 · Week 6
PIT -2.5 37.5 316193845 Q4 PIT OT
Late cover flip Late over Lead lost
26–19
2026 · Week 5
ATL -3 44.5 1023324653 Q4 BAL Q3
Late cover flip Late over Lead lost
30–23
2026 · Week 5
NYJ -2.5 38.5 10131329 U NYJ Q4
Late cover flip Lead lost
12–17
2026 · Week 5
WSH -3.5 41.5 915325454 Q4 NYG Q4
Late cover flip Lead lost
27–27
2026 · Week 5
JAX -7.5 41.5 7212436 U PHI Q1
Lead lost
17–19
2026 · Week 4
LAR -4.5 42.5 6303044 Q4 PHI Q1
Late over Lead lost
24–20
2026 · Week 3
DEN -1.5 44.5 7163256 Q4 DEN Q4
Late cover flip Late over Lead lost
26–30
2026 · Week 3
BAL -3 54.5 17304565 Q4 Push
Late cover flip Late over Lead lost
34–31
2026 · Week 2
GB -3.5 44.5 014213437 U NYJ Q1
Lead lost
20–17
2026 · Week 2
TB -8.5 41.5 9153242 Q4 CLE Q1
Late over Lead lost
23–19
2026 · Week 1
BUF -1.5 44.5 10454867 Q2 BUF Q2
Late cover flip Lead lost
36–31

When was the cover settled?

From the end of that quarter on, the side covering never changed
Q1 49% 46
Q2 14% 13
Q3 9% 8
Q4 23% 22
OT 1% 1
Push 4% 4
The team leading at halftime won 78% and covered 68% of 85 games
The team leading after 3 quarters won 80% and covered 70% of 90 games

Going into the 4th quarter

Points the game still needed after 3 quarters, and how often it got there
Points neededGamesWent over
Already over9100% 9
1–3580% 4
4–71090% 9
8–101090% 9
11–141275% 9
15–171414% 2
18–211127% 3
22+2317% 4
Quarter scores from ESPN for the past four seasons; closing lines from the ESPN odds feed. Timing is to the quarter: an over that cashed with 10 seconds left in the 3rd counts as Q3. “Settled” means the team covering at the end of that quarter covered the closing spread at the end, with no change in between. Last 5 minutes (4th quarter, plus overtime) compares the score with 5:00 left, from ESPN scoring plays, with the final. History, not a prediction: none of this has shown an edge against the market.