NFL odds: Wacky wins, bad beats; Late field goal helps Jags cover vs. Chiefs

You’ve heard of the Cover 2 defense.

Jacksonville’s Doug Pederson should be known as the NFL’s postseason cover coach.

Heading into Saturday’s game between Pederson’s Jaguars and the Kansas Chiefs, Pederson was 6-0 against the spread (ATS) as an underdog head coach in the playoffs.

You can now make that 7-0 as the Jaguars (+9.5 at FOX Bet) covered in their 27-20 loss to the Chiefs in an AFC divisional round game in Kansas City, Missouri.

But it took a field goal with 25 seconds to go that was, as famed broadcaster Al Michaels likes to say, “significant to some.”

Welcome to the world of wacky wins and bad beats in sports betting.

Each week, we’ll recap the betting plays that had some people cashing in and others tearing up their tickets in frustration. 

Let’s dive into this week’s craziness!

Divisional ‘dogs bark again

Bettors who played the 9.5 points on either side sweated out some big swings in emotion on Saturday.

The Chiefs pushed their lead to 27-17 midway through the fourth quarter, and Jaguars backers who took the points were getting more nervous as Jacksonville’s next two drives ended with a fumble and interception – both in Chiefs territory.

The fumble was especially costly to Jacksonville backers. Jamal Agnew caught a short pass but lost a fumble at the Chiefs’ 3-yard line with 5 ½ minutes to go.

Things looked bleak for Jaguars backers when Kansas City’s Jaylen Watson intercepted a pass at the Chiefs’ 30 with just under four minutes to go. But Kansas City managed just one first down and punted with just over a minute to go.

Jacksonville started at its 33 but picked up first downs on its first two plays with gains of 11 and 21 yards.

The Jaguars faced fourth and 5 from the Chiefs’ 30 with about 30 seconds to go, and then it was decision time.

Should Jacksonville go for it and try to score a touchdown?

Nope, Pederson elected to kick a field goal to make it a one-score game. Riley Patterson delivered, making a 48-yard field goal with 25 seconds to go. 

That field goal cut Kansas City’s lead to 27-20. When the Chiefs recovered the onside kick, Jaguars +9.5 bettors had the backdoor cover. 

A bad beat for some (Chiefs bettors) and a wacky win for others (Jags bettors). Those are the breaks of the game.

The underdog Jaguars covering in the weekend’s first game wasn’t a surprise as it continued a trend since 2003, tweeted BetMGM Data Analyst John Ewing.

One gambler who paid the vig cashed in on a $500,000 bet.

Because of that wager and other action, the outcome was a rough start to the weekend for some of the sportsbooks.

Great Scott!

Bettors who did their research just knew Philadelphia running back Boston Scott would score a touchdown against the New York Giants.

Scott scored on a 3-yard run midway through the second quarter as Scott (+325 to score an anytime TD at FOX Bet) was the most bet on player to score a TD at several sportsbooks. He’s scored 57.9% of his career touchdowns against the Giants.

Stay tuned for more of the wackiness!

And if you want to join in on the fun (or madness), head over to FOX Bet for all your wagers.

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