Cover
To win a bet against the spread. "The Packers covered" means they beat the posted spread, not just the game.
A team covers when its margin of victory (or defeat) beats the posted point spread.
Examples:
- Packers -7 → must win by 8+ to cover
- Bears +7 → must lose by 6 or fewer, or win outright, to cover
A push (landing exactly on the spread) returns the bet. Half-point spreads (-7.5, +7.5) eliminate pushes.
The opposite of cover: “fail to cover” or “didn’t cover.”