Written By @AllStaples
Welcome to Bad Beats – capitalized because it always feels very personal.
- The Beat: Colts +7, +7.5, +8, +8.5 at Titans
The Bad: Titans 36, Colts 22
The Takeaway: You saw this nonsense last week:
Still, in this time of unprecedented divisiveness in America, it’s always refreshing to see unlikely bonds form – call it the brotherhood of the Bad Beat. Prior to the game, BetOnline.AG oddsmaker Dave Mason noted the matchup was a rare time which found the sharp and public money both aligned behind a hopeful horseshoe cover. They didn’t get it; they did get yet another Monday night soul-crushing defeat.
Of course, the gambling talk out of the game was whether or not Derick Henry stepped out of bounds on the touchdown run and if the call should have been reviewed and, possibly, overturned. Over on pro football talk, Mike Florio summed up the situation perfectly:
“In this case, however, the impact came not on the outcome of the game but on the outcome of the wagering on the game. With the NFL moving a team to Las Vegas and with a sense that legalized sports wagering is inevitable, the league needs to be cognizant of meaningless scores that actually are meaningful, and to ensure that they are valid and proper scoring plays.”
Amen to that.
Don’t forget to listen to Monday’s NFL Podcast for a look at the Week 8 lines!
- The Beat: Maryland + 24 at Wisconsin; Over/Under 49.5, 50, 50.5
The Bad: Wisconsin 38, Maryland 13
The Takeaway: This is how non-competitive this game was: the four ESPN video highlights include the word “easy” twice and “Wisconsin pours it on with A.J. Taylor’s TD.” It was not close, unless you had Maryland and the under. If you did, this was a double-barrel Bad Beat.
Last week, we had Arkansas’s decision to not kick a field goal sink a first half +24 play against Alabama. This week, we had yet another kicking conundrum. With less than 45 seconds left in the game and facing a 4th and 1 from the Terrapin 15-yard line, the Badgers used a timeout and proceeded to kick a 33-yard field goal to cover the spread and push the game over the total.
Following the game, there was online speculation (and, really, what better kind is there?) that the decision to kick the field goal was to allow Badger kicker Rafael Gaglianone an opportunity to regain some confidence after missing a chippie earlier in the game. Although, the snap on that 39-yard miss was high so, as usual, we’re left with only one verifiable fact: this was a Bad Beat. The unverfifiable fact is Badger boosters likely have a few extra greenbacks in their pocket.
BetOnline.Ag Bonus Codes: 75BTB first time deposit (75% Bonus); 50BTB for reloads (50% Bonus)
- The Beat: Louisiana Tech +1 versus Southern Miss
The Bad: Southern Miss 34, Louisiana Tech 27
The Takeaway: Louisiana Tech was up 27-16 with 4:08 left when Southern Miss took possession of the ball at their own 25-yard line. And then, for Tech bettors, a Walter White style descent into darkness. Southern Miss drove to the Tech 32-yard line and kicked a 49-yard field to trim the margin to 8. A recovered onside kick was followed by a touchdown (note the effective “turnstyle” tackling technique on the score). That touchdown was followed by a successful 2-point try which tied the game with 31 seconds left. As the clocked ticked to zero, Tech attempted and missed a desperation 64-yarder for the win.
In the first overtime, there was a glimmer of hope for Tech bettors and that’s why hope is a cruel thing. It appeared Southern Miss was going to kick a field goal to win the game until quarterback Keon Howard audibled into a pass and threw a costly interception. Momentum changer, right? In the second overtime, Howard redeemed himself with a 25-yard touchdown strike, but Tech could still answer? They could, and they did tease Tech backers by converting a first down but were unable to punch the ball in from the Southern Miss 13. Ball Game. Drive home safe.
- The Beat: Ravens at Vikings; Over/Under 39.5, 39, 38.5, 38, 37.5
The Bad: Vikings 24, Ravens 16
The Takeaway: Here’s what we do know. We know that Joe Flacco – already iffy – has a bad back. We know Baltimore was without its top three receivers and started two backups at guard. We know that – prior to the last drive – the Raven offense had managed only 101 yards in the air and well under 200 for the game. We also know the Ravens hadn’t scored an offensive touchdown in 8 quarters. And we also know the Viking front four brutalized Joe all day – credited with 5 sacks, 6 quarterback hits and 11 tackles for loss – and it could have been worse! And yet, as time expired and on 4th down, there was old Joe Flacco trying and succeeding to drag the game over the total. Congratulations, Joe!
Fun fact: Kai Forbath kicked more field goals (6) in this game than Joe Flacco has touchdown passes this entire season (5).
See you next week! I’m @AllStaples on Twitter or use #BTBbadbeat to discuss.
