Push, in plain words
A push happens when the result lands exactly on the line. Bet a team at -3 and it wins by exactly 3: you neither win nor lose, and the book returns your stake. The same goes for a total of 44 when the teams score 44 between them.
Only whole-number lines can push. A line of -3.5 or 44.5 cannot land exactly, which is why so many lines end in a half. Some numbers push far more often than others. In our archive of NFL results, games ended by exactly 3 points more often than by any other margin, so -3 and +3 push often.
Inside a parlay a pushed leg usually drops out and the parlay is paid on the legs that remain, so a three-leg parlay becomes a two-leg one at a lower price. Rules vary by book and market, especially on teasers and player props, so read the house rules before you count on it.
The idea, drawn
Worked example · from our data
How often an NFL game lands on 3
- NFL games
- 7,383
- Won by exactly 3
- 1,119
- Share
- 15.2%
- Window
- Sep 1999 to Oct 26, 2026
- Of 7,383 completed NFL games in our archive, regular season and playoffs, 1,119 ended with a 3-point margin.
- 1,119 / 7,383 = 15.2%.
- Not every one of those games had a spread of exactly 3, so this is how often a 3-point line could land, not how often one did.
A whole-number spread on 3 is the line most likely to hand your stake back in the NFL.
Our NFL results archive: every completed game, regular season and playoffs, Sep 1999 to Oct 26, 2026. Counted Oct 29, 2026.