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Worst Bad Beats Of The 2017 NFL Season
Worst bad beats of the 2017 NFL season
Rob Nelson
Rob Nelson of ESPN Stats & Information revisits the worst bad beats from the 2017 NFL season's gambling action.
Week 2
Philadelphia Eagles at Kansas City Chiefs
Over/under: 46.5
It would have been hard to imagine under 46.5 bets not cashing during the second half of this Week 2 matchup. The Chiefs led the eventual champs 6-3 with less than five minutes left in the third quarter, and neither team had yet to reach the end zone.
Then the fireworks began in Kansas City.
An Alshon Jeffery touchdown with 4:04 left in the third quarter was the first of five touchdowns in the final 20 minutes. The Chiefs scored the next three and took a 27-13 lead after Kareem Hunt's second touchdown of the game. With eight seconds left, Carson Wentz and Nelson Agholor hooked up for a 9-yard score, and the Jake Elliott extra point sent the total over by a half-point.
Final score: Chiefs 27, Eagles 20 (game goes over)
Week 4
Washington Redskins at Kansas City Chiefs
Line: Chiefs -6.5, O/U 48
Arguably the worst bad beat of the season happened on Monday Night Football, and you know this was one some bettors still can't get over.
After a Harrison Butker field goal put the Chiefs up 23-20 with four seconds to go, Washington would have one play to try to pull out a miracle win. No way those who had Redskins +6.5 could lose, right? Well, they did. Kansas City's Justin Houston returned a fumble off an attempted lateral for a touchdown on the last play to cover the spread for the Chiefs and push the total over by one point.
Final score: Chiefs 29, Redskins 20 (Chiefs cover and game goes over)
Week 6
Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans
Line: Titans -7
Despite entering this game on an 11-game losing streak against the Colts, Tennessee was a touchdown favorite at home against its division rival. Those who took Indianapolis plus the points were wishing they had ignored the recent history between these teams.
Early in the third quarter, it looked as though Indianapolis -- which led 19-9 -- would have its way again. However, the Titans controlled the game from that point on and would rally to take a 29-22 lead. Bettors who got the line at seven were looking at a likely push, as Tennessee had the ball with less than a minute left. But then Derrick Henry broke loose for a 72-yard touchdown with 47 seconds left to give the Titans a 14-point win.
Final score: Titans 36, Colts 22 (Titans cover)
Week 8
Miami Dolphins at Baltimore Ravens
O/U: 38
The Ravens led 20-0 entering the fourth quarter of this ugly Thursday night game, with those on under 38 feeling good about their chances. If you had told those same people that neither offense would score in the final quarter, they would have felt even better.
Unfortunately for those unlucky bettors, the Ravens' defense scored not one, not two, but three touchdowns in a 9:47 span. Jimmy Smith provided the third defensive touchdown, a 50-yard pick-six that sent the total over by two points with 4:28 left in the game, mystifying those who took the under.
Final score: Ravens 40, Dolphins 0 (game goes over)
Week 11
Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns
Line: Jaguars -7
Betting on the Browns was an unprofitable strategy all season. Not only did Cleveland go winless, but it was also a league-worst 4-12 against the spread in 2017. This Week 11 loss to Jacksonville would be the worst of them all.
With less than two minutes left, the Jaguars led 13-7, and those on Cleveland +7 were seconds away from winning their bet. But for the third time in three possessions, DeShone Kizer turned it over, this time losing the ball on a sack that resulted in a Telvin Smith touchdown. That gave Jacksonville a 19-7 lead. That would stand after a backdoor cover attempt by the Browns came up short.
Final score: Jaguars 19, Browns 7 (Jaguars cover)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Miami Dolphins
O/U: 44
Minutes after the Jaguars scored late to cover against the Browns, there was another crazy finish for gamblers in Miami.
With three minutes left, Matt Moore connected with Kenny Stills on a 61-yard touchdown to tie the game at 20 apiece. At that point, those on under 44 were hoping for a field goal to make it a 23-20 final. That scenario looked like it would play out perfectly as Patrick Murray's 35-yard field goal with four seconds left put Tampa Bay up 23-20. There was time for only a Miami kickoff return, but it would turn out to be a costly one for bettors. The Dolphins played the lateral game but kept moving backward until Adarius Glanton recovered a fumble in the end zone for the Buccaneers to send the total over with zeroes on the clock.
Final score: Buccaneers 30, Dolphins 20 (game goes over)
Week 13
Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans
Line: Titans -7
The Texans led 10-0 in the first half and seemed to control most of this game. It appeared that those who took Houston +7 in this divisional matchup were on the right side. But then Derrick Henry happened. Again.
After Tom Savage threw an interception while trailing 17-13, the Titans took over at their own 20-yard line with 1:08 left. With Houston having just two timeouts left, the game was pretty much over. Two plays later on third-and-5, Henry, who had previously rushed for 34 yards on 10 carries in the game, broke loose for a 75-yard touchdown to crush bettors who took the Texans.
Final score: Titans 24, Texans 13 (Titans cover)
Week 14
Indianapolis Colts at Buffalo Bills
Line: Bills -3.5
It's unclear which was worse: The weather or how those who bet Indianapolis +3.5 felt after this one.
The Colts had multiple chances to win the game late in regulation. After a Jack Doyle touchdown made it 7-6 late in the fourth quarter, the Colts went for two and got it to go up 8-7. But a late -- and questionable -- flag was thrown for offensive pass interference to negate the play. So instead of taking the lead, Indianapolis settled for a long Adam Vinatieri extra point that somehow found its way through the uprights. After Buffalo's Joe Webb was picked off, Vinatieri had a chance to win it with a 43-yard field goal, but missed just wide left. The heartbreak for Colts bettors continued in overtime. Just when a tie or a 3-point Buffalo win looked like the likely scenarios, LeSean McCoy broke loose for a 21-yard touchdown to win by 6.
Final score: Bills 13, Colts 7 in OT (Bills cover)
Week 15
New York Jets at New Orleans Saints
O/U: 47
The Saints entered as a 15.5-point favorite, the most points they have ever been favored by in franchise history. But the story for bettors would be what happened in the final minutes in regard to the over/under.
New Orleans led 24-13 at the two-minute warning, with those on the under thinking they would be cashing tickets after this one. But two touchdowns in an 18-second span, capped off by Mark Ingram's 50-yard score, would push the total over.
Final score: Saints 31, Jets 19 (game goes over)
New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers
Line: Patriots -2.5, over/under 53
This game more than lived up to its hype, both on the field and in the betting world.
When Jesse James put the Steelers up 30-27 with 28 seconds left, it looked as though bets on over 53 and Steelers +2.5 would be winners. But in a shocking call, the pass was ruled incomplete since James didn't "survive the ground." After the touchdown was taken off the board, Ben Roethlisberger was picked off by Duron Harmon in the end zone with five seconds left to stun both Pittsburgh and those on over 53.
Final score: Patriots 27, Steelers 24 (game goes under)
Honorable mentions
Two games were an extra point away from making this list.
On Christmas night in Week 16, Derek Barnett returned a fumble 23 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the game to put the Eagles up 19-10. Philadelphia, which closed as a 9.5-point favorite, could have covered if it chose to kick the extra point, but instead sent Nick Foles out to take a knee.
And who could forget the Minneapolis Miracle? Stefon Diggs' 61-yard touchdown on the game's final play could have gone down as one of the worst bad beats in playoff history. But the Vikings, just like the Eagles did a few weeks earlier, took a knee instead of kicking the extra point, winning by 5 as 5.5-point favorites.
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Originally Posted by Eddy Munny
