Bad Beats #6
Close only counts in horseshoes. If you’re betting on sports, being close is just a bad beat. Maybe you missed the over by a point. Maybe your team doesn’t cover the spread. Maybe the underdog actually won the game. Each week produces new sports betting upsets.
Here’s a look at this week’s bad beats:
1. NFL – Houston Texans at Cleveland Browns Spread (11/15/20)
If you thought the Browns were going to cover, they didn’t. But in Nick Chubb’s eyes, it was for good reason that they didn’t. The Browns were 4.5-point favorites prior to Sunday’s kickoff. The Browns were up 10-7 on the Texans with just a minute left to go in the game. In the eyes of the bettors, it seemed likely that the game would end in a loss or a push…until Browns running back Nick Chubb went flying down the field. No Texans defenders were on him. Nothing was stopping him, except for himself. Chubb decided to go out of bounds at the 1-yard line with 54 seconds left.
Now, this was a really bad beat for Browns spread bettors. However, from a football perspective, it couldn’t have made more sense. It wasn’t very likely that the Texans would have been able to respond had Chubb scored and made it 17-7, but it was a safe decision, nonetheless. After that, the Browns were able to run out the clock and win the game. So, whoever bet on the Browns covering the spread, that’s quite unfortunate. But, if you picked the Texans to cover the 4.5-point spread, I am sure you are really happy with Chubb’s decision.
2. NFL – Buffalo Bills at Arizona Cardinals Spread and Moneyline (11/15/20)
Uh-oh. Double trouble. One game, two bad beats. If you follow Tipico on social media, you would know that this was the “Game of the Weekend.” And what an incredible game it was! The Cardinals were a 3-point favorite before kickoff.
With 34 seconds left in the game, Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs caught a touchdown, giving Buffalo a 30-26 lead. It looked like those who bet the Bills moneyline at +140 were going to get very lucky. But it’s not over until it’s over. Leave it to Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray to ruin any ounce of luck that the Bills may have had. With two seconds left in the game, Murray connected with DeAndre Hopkins for a Hail Mary. That Hail Mary gave the Cardinals a 32-30 lead with an extra point still to be kicked.
With the extra point, the Cardinals would win by three points, resulting in a push. However, after the Hail Mary, the offense stayed on the field and it appeared as if maybe the Cardinals were going to attempt a two-point conversion. But there was no such thing, as the Cardinals took a knee after the snap, ending the game. The Cardinals didn’t go for the extra point in fear of it being unsuccessful and then giving the Bills the opportunity to return it for a two-point conversion, which would have tied the game. So, the Cardinals walked away with a big win, but Cardinals spread bettors and Bills moneyline bettors did not.
3. NCAA Football – Toledo Rockets at Western Michigan Broncos Spread and Moneyline (11/11/20)
With just under three minutes left in the game, Western Michigan was down 10 points. It seemed as though the Toledo Rockets would win and cover the 1.5-point spread. But the final two minutes of Wednesday’s game was absolute insanity for the Western Michigan Broncos.
The Broncos recovered an onside kick with about two minutes left in the game. Western Michigan’s quarterback Kaleb Eleby threw an 18-yard pass to D’Wayne Eskridge. A field goal would have been meaningless, as Western Michigan was down four points and needed a touchdown to take the lead and win the game. With a completed pass and no timeouts, the natural play would be to spike the ball. However, with 20 seconds left, Eleby faked the spike and threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Hall. The touchdown and extra point gave the Broncos a 41-38 lead.
If you bet the Toledo spread at +1.5 or the Toledo moneyline at +105, I suggest you don’t rewatch Western Michigan’s final play on Twitter.
4. NCAA Football – Oregon State Beavers at Washington Huskies O/U (11/14/20)
If you bet the under on this game, you may have been a bit nervous after the first half. The Oregon State and Washington over/under was set at 51 prior to kickoff. At the end of the first half, the total was already at 45. Washington led 24-21, and with two more quarters left to play, it seemed very possible for the over to hit…or so you thought.
The third quarter yielded no fruit for either team as far as scoring was concerned. The second half in general didn’t produce any touchdowns. The only score in the second half was a Washington field goal with 1:45 left in the fourth quarter. Washington defeated Oregon State 27-21 and the total stayed under 51. So, if you bet the over, I am so sorry for your loss. It seemed promising at the beginning of the game, but close only counts in horseshoes.
