NFL odds: Jaguars stun Chargers, one of the worst bad beats of all time and more

Updated Jan. 16, 2023 12:42 a.m. ET

Down 27 points, and your quarterback threw four interceptions in the first half during an NFL Super Wild Card Weekend playoff game?

Not a problem for Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Jaguars (+2.5 at FOX Bet) rallied for an improbable 31-30 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday night. More importantly, this will goes down as one of the worst bad beats of all time if you were a Chargers ticket holder.

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. To paraphrase famed broadcaster Al Michaels, "those plays are significant to some."

Let's recap the craziness from the Chargers-Jaguars game.

The Jaguars completed the third-largest comeback in NFL playoff history, much to the joy of Jacksonville moneyline (+110) and spread bettors and to the agony of Chargers backers, who no doubt were starting to plan what they were going to do with their winnings after Los Angeles bolted to a 27-0 lead.

The two bigger playoff comebacks in NFL history were the Buffalo Bills' 41-38 overtime win over the Houston Oilers in 1993 (Houston led 35-3 with 8:53 remaining in the third quarter) and the Indianapolis Colts 45-44 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in 2014 (Kansas City led 38-10 with 11:48 remaining in the third quarter).

The Chargers had a chance to escape with the win after the Jaguars cut the lead to 30-28, but Los Angeles went three-and-out and punted with a little over three minutes to go.

The big play for the Jaguars came on fourth-and-1 with less than 90 seconds to go when Travis Etienne ran for 25 yards to the Chargers' 16. Riley Patterson kicked the winning 36-yard field goal with no time left.

From a betting perspective, the Jags got as high as +2800 on the live moneyline at Caesars Sportsbook when they were down 27-0. 

This bettor, after sweating during the first half, is probably still celebrating.

On the flip side, it's tough to think of a word this bettor is feeling right now other than pain.

The luckiest gambler may just be this person, thanks to his … radio?

Lawrence shook off the rough start to finish 28-for-47 passing (59.6%) for 288 yards and four touchdowns.

Just call Lawrence "Mr. Saturday."

The comeback also turned out to be good for certain sportsbooks.

Fourteen-point swing

It was fitting that this wild weekend of games wrapped up with, well, a wild 14-point swing on the key play in the Ravens-Bengals contest on Sunday night.

With the game tied at 17 early in the fourth quarter, Baltimore had third and goal from the 1.

The Ravens attempted a quarterback sneak, but backup Tyler Huntley, trying to reach and break the plane of the end zone, had the ball knocked out by Logan Wilson. Sam Hubbard caught the fumble and ran 98 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.

The Ravens went from being a few feet from taking a seven-point lead to trailing 24-17, a 14-point swing in a matter of seconds. 

The in-game odds swung, too, BetMGM Data Analyst John Ewing tweeted.

FOX Sports' Geoff Schwartz, a former NFL offensive lineman, offered his analysis on Twitter. Ravens bettors, no doubt, agree with Schwartz.

Having the opposing defense score a long touchdown in the playoffs is nothing new for the Ravens.

Cincinnati won 24-17 as Bengals moneyline bettors (-400 at FOX Bet, bet $10 to win $12.50 total) and Ravens backers who took the 8.5 points cashed in.

Ben Fawkes of VSiN tweeted one unlucky bettor had a different spread – points matter.

Jones pays off early

Bettors who had faith in the legs of Giants quarterback Daniel Jones cashed in early against the Vikings on Sunday.

Jones' Over/Under (O/U) for rushing yards was 39.5, and he ran for 72 in the first half, thanks to gains of 12, 10, 14 and 15 yards.

Every yard counts

One yard was the difference between cashing or trashing the ticket for bettors who wagered on Buffalo running back James Cook.

Cook's O/U rushing total was 39.5 yards. Cook rushed for 40 yards on 11 carries when Buffalo took over with just over two minutes to go.

Cook got his 12th carry on the first play but was tackled for a loss of a yard, knocking his rushing total to 39. Cook did not touch the ball on Buffalo's final three plays as the Bills held off Miami 34-31.

That hurts.

As for the game itself, Bills backers who laid the 13.5 points were sitting comfortably as Buffalo raced to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter.

But if the Chargers-Jaguars game taught us anything, no favorite is safe in the AFC playoffs as Miami scored the game's final touchdown early in the fourth quarter to cover despite starting its third-string quarterback (Skylar Thompson), a rookie seventh-round pick.

It's always the hook

Veteran bettors know why the books add the .5 to lines (aka the hook).

Because it seems it haunts bettors more often than it shouldn't.

Keenan Allen led the Chargers in catches per game (6.6) during the regular season. His O/U for catches against the Jaguars was 6.5, and bettors at BetMGM hammered the Over.

Allen caught his sixth pass with about 13 minutes to go in the third quarter and the Chargers leading 27-7.

Then it all unraveled, as things went terribly wrong for the Chargers and Allen bettors the rest of the way.

Allen was targeted four more times in the final 28 minutes but did not make a catch, finishing with six total receptions.

The Chargers imploded, losing 31-30. An all-time bad beat for LAC bettors.

What could happen in 13 seconds?

San Francisco kicked a field goal to take a 16-14 lead over Seattle with 13 seconds left before halftime Saturday.

What could go wrong for 49ers first-half moneyline bettors (-303, bet $10 to win $13.33 total)?

Plenty.

Instead of kicking deep and maybe getting a touchback, the 49ers elected to squib kick and didn't do that terribly well as Seattle returned it to its 38 with nine seconds to go.

Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith took off running on the next play and started his slide just shy of midfield with one second left.

But 49ers cornerback Jimmie Ward inexplicably hit a sliding Smith for a personal foul and 15 more yards.

Seattle's Jason Myers then kicked a 56-yard field goal on the final play as Seattle took a 17-16 lead into the locker room. The Seahawks outscored the 49ers 17-6 in the second quarter, much to the chagrin of those San Francisco bettors.

Just like that — well, in 13 seconds — 49ers first-half moneyline bettors failed to cash in.

Former Cowboys fullback Daryl Johnston, the analyst for the FOX broadcast, explained what just happened.

"It's amazing, the detail that goes into all the little things that can cost you points that could come back and haunt you later in the game," Johnston said. "And what a huge mistake by Jimmie Ward."

San Francisco outscoring Seattle in the second half 25-6 was especially painful to at least one bettor.

Parlay bettor hits

The 49ers pulling away from the Seahawks in the fourth quarter was meaningful for one parlay bettor.

The bettor put $50 on four players scoring touchdowns – San Francisco's Deebo Samuel and Elijah Mitchell and Seattle's DK Metcalf and Kenneth Walker – at +9990.

Walker and Metcalf scored on consecutive Seahawks possessions early in the second quarter. Neither 49er scored in the third quarter, no doubt making the bettor nervous.

After a Seahawks lost fumble, Mitchell scored on a 7-yard catch a minute into the fourth quarter.

After a Seattle punt, Samuel scored on a 74-yard catch-and-run, paying off with a nearly $4,950 profit for the bettor.

Wolverines' pain

There are many bad beats in every spot, and college basketball had a couple recently, so we had to include them in this week's column.

Michigan (+5) was sitting pretty against Iowa late in the second half of the Big Ten men's basketball game Thursday.

The Wolverines led 65-55 with 11 minutes to go and still had a seven-point lead with 2:18 to go. That was a 12-point margin for Michigan bettors who took the points.

Michigan's lead was down 79-75, but Iowa's Payton Sandfort hit a 3-pointer and was fouled with 20 seconds to go. Michigan bettors know what the result of the ensuing free throw was.

The Wolverines went scoreless for the first 3:21 of overtime – missing a paint of 3-point attempts, a free throw and committing a turnover – as the Hawkeyes pulled away for a 93-84 win. 

UC this bad beat?

University of California San Diego (+3.5) was ahead of UC Riverside by 18 points with 11 ½ minutes to go in the Big West Conference basketball game Wednesday.

The Highlanders closed with a mind-boggling 33-9 run for a 74-68 victory.

But it was the ending that crushed the souls of Tritons bettors who took the points.  

Jamal Hartwell made a pair of free throws with two seconds left to give Riverside a 71-68 lead. At that point, UCSD was still covering!

But Flynn Cameron stole the inbounds pass, and – bank is open! – banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Final: 74-68.

Brutal.

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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