We’re just two weeks into the NFL season, and we already have our candidate for the worst bad beat of the year. Bad beats are very common in sports betting, especially in the NFL, but this is almost as bad as it gets because the decision was inexplicable. If you were on the wrong end of this bad beat, we feel for you.
The Los Angeles Rams were 7.5-point underdogs against the San Francisco 49ers and were down 10 points with 1:34 remaining in the fourth quarter for their final possession. Even with the game already out of reach, Matthew Stafford spiked the ball with four seconds left to stop the clock and set them up for a game-ending field goal.
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Los Angeles Rams Create Deflating Bad Beat
All-time bad beat for 49ers -7.5 🤮 pic.twitter.com/MqOXNFLfB2
— PFN Betting (@PFNBetting) September 17, 2023
If you had a 49ers -7.5 ticket … YIKES. That is as meaningless of a field goal as it gets, and a decision 49ers bettors were not expecting to happen when the Rams got the ball back in the final two minutes in garbage time.
The happiest person after the Rams’ backdoor cover? Perhaps this bettor at DraftKings Sportsbook who is now the biggest McVay fan in the world.
Rams (+7.5) backdoor covered to help this bettor CASH IN 🤑
One user turned $64,755.07 ➡️ $124,713.47 on Rams +7.5 (-108) ✅ pic.twitter.com/6KLmntX8HN
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) September 17, 2023
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Luckily for bettors, it appears that the 49ers weren’t a popular pick against the spread this week. The public might’ve been scared off by the 7.5 and the Rams coming off a blowout road win over the Seattle Seahawks the week prior. Before kickoff, BetMGM reported that 53% of the bets and 60% of the handle wagered on the spread were on the Rams and the points.
This line also fluctuated quite a bit between 7.0 and 7.5. No matter which number you had, that game-ending field goal was a bad beat, but for some, at least, they pushed. This is just another example of how pivotal it is to get the best number and shop across different sportsbooks to get the most favorable odds for the side you like.