NFL betting: Long shot Kevin Harris joins list of little-known first TD scorers in prime time
Kevin Harris #KevinHarris
There were probably plenty of betting tickets for the first touchdown of Monday night’s game on Rhamondre Stevenson, Hunter Henry, DeAndre Hopkins, James Conner or Kyler Murray (more on Murray in a moment).
Kevin Harris not only wasn’t on the radar, there’s a good chance that a majority of the viewers for New England Patriots vs. Arizona Cardinals game had never heard of him as they watched him scamper for a touchdown.
Harris, a sixth-round pick out of South Carolina, had four yards on four career carries before Monday night. He had to get extra snaps at running back for the New England Patriots when Stevenson went down with an ankle injury. Damien Harris was inactive. Harris was listed way down on those first TD odds at BetMGM, and it hit when he scored on a 14-yard run.
He was 33-to-1 to score the first TD of the game, not that anyone would have thought to bet him.
First touchdown bets have become popular, with betting becoming more widespread and sportsbooks offering props on just about everything in an NFL game. It’s usually settled quickly (though, with some prime-time games this season, bored fans wondered if there would be a touchdown at all), and the odds are usually good.
Quarterbacks often get a lot of first TD bets, and BetMGM refunded all Murray first TD bets and other over bets on Murray props when he injured his knee and was carted off three plays into the game.
First TD bets can be fun, but it does get annoying when the first touchdown is scored by someone nobody would reasonably consider. That has happened a few times this season in prime-time games, which generally get more betting action.
Here are some of the longer shots that have scored first touchdowns this season: Seattle Seahawks tight end Will Dissly, Chargers fullback Zander Horvath, Bears receiver Dante Pettis, New Orleans Saints receiver Rashid Shaheed, Panthers receiver Laviska Shenault, Titans backup running back Dalton Hilliard, Philadelphia Eagles backup running back Kenneth Gainwell. New England Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones scored on the first offensive snap of his career in Week 13. The wildest first TD scorer was Houston Texans tight end Teagan Quitoriano, who had never had a catch before scoring first against the Eagles in Week 9. Quitoriano was so far off the radar that BetMGM didn’t list any odds for him and they refunded all first TD bets. Quitoriano still has just three catches this season.
It’s not that unusual for random players to score. But when it happens on the first touchdown in prime-time games it causes angry bettors to search rosters online, shortly after they rip up their own first TD tickets.
