National Football League

NFL odds Week 13: Wacky wins and bad beats

Updated Dec. 4, 2022 10:22 p.m. ET

Bettors who took the moneyline and the Over in the Over/Under in the Washington Commanders-New York Giants suffered a double whammy Sunday.

The game between longtime NFL rivals ended in a 20-20 tie, meaning bettors who took the moneyline on either side had their bet refunded, and Over 40.5 bettors lost by the slimmest of margins.

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 dive into this week's wackiness!

Nobody likes a tie

There's an old sports cliché that nobody likes a tie.

You know who really doesn't like a tie today? The Over bettors in the Giants and Commanders game, which ended in a 20-20 tie. The only happy bettors were those who took the Giants and the 3.5 points.

The O/U was 40.5 combined points, meaning any score in OT would've made a winner of Over bettors.

Not that either team threatened to score in OT. Each team punted twice in the extra period, and Giants kicker Graham Gano was short on his 58-yard field goal attempt on the final play.

Giants bettors were lamenting the defense couldn't stop Washington late in the fourth quarter. Trailing 20-13, the Commanders completed an eight-play, 90-yard drive to tie the game.

It was the seventh tie game since the NFL shortened overtime to 10 minutes in 2017.

Packers torment Bears backers

Bears bettors (+4, +160 moneyline) were feeling confident heading into the fourth quarter as Chicago led Green Bay 19-10.

Except the Packers still have Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.

Green Bay scored two touchdowns sandwiched around a field goal to defeat the Bears 28-19.

Bettors who took the four points lost when Christian Watson scored on a 46-yard run on a reverse with 1:51 to go. The TD also ruined the tickets for Under 45.5 bettors.

Chicago still had a chance, marching to the Green Bay 28-yard line with 44 seconds to go. But Bears quarterback Justin Fields threw an interception.

One final insult for Bears faithful: With the win, Green Bay has the most wins in NFL history, moving one ahead of Chicago.

Broncos own worst enemy

Broncos moneyline backers (+280 at FOX Bet) suffered another loss in a tough season, this time to the Baltimore Ravens 10-9. The Ravens rallied for the win despite star quarterback Lamar Jackson exiting the game with a knee injury in the first quarter.

The dagger for Broncos backers: Two crucial penalties (unnecessary roughness, pass interference) and allowing a fourth-down conversion aided the Ravens on the winning drive.

Trailing 9-3, the Ravens took over at their own 9-yard line with five minutes to go.

The Ravens executed a 16-play drive behind backup QB Tyler Huntley, capped by Huntley's 2-yard touchdown run with 28 seconds to go.

The Broncos gave bettors some hope as they picked up 37 yards on three plays but Brandon McManus' field-goal attempt from 63 yards was short on the final play.

Doink!

A field-goal attempt coming up short by inches caused agony for first-half bettors in the Patriots-Bills game on Thursday Night Football.

New England kicker Nick Folk's 48-yard attempt hit the crossbar and bounced away with 10 seconds left in the second quarter, leaving the Patriots behind 17-7. Announcer Al Michaels thought the kick was good ("… and he boots it through").

Those mere inches cost bettors who were on the Patriots to score more than 9.5 points in the first half.

Going for it helps Under bettors

No. 3 TCU suffered a 31-28 overtime loss to No. 10 Kansas State in the Big 12 title game.

The Horned Frogs turning the ball over on downs in OT paid off for bettors who played Under 61.5 combined points.

TCU had the first possession of OT and had third down and goal from the 1-yard line. But Horned Frogs running back Kendre Miller got stuffed for no gain on consecutive carries as TCU decided against a field goal attempt. The Wildcats then picked up a first down and kicked a 31-yard field goal to win it.

The Under covered by 2.5 points.

Trojan horse gets Under bettors

Utah led USC 34-24 midway through the fourth quarter in the Pac-12 Conference title game, with the O/U at 66.5.

The Trojans committed turnovers on their next two possessions which the Utes converted into touchdowns in a 3.5-minute span.

After the second turnover, Utah, leading 40-24, had second down and 4 from the USC 32 with 2.5 minutes to go. With a Utes first down, Utah likely starts taking a knee and Under bettors cash in.

Except USC failed to tackle Utah running back Micah Bernard, who ran 23 yards up the middle to make it 47-24 and crush the hopes of Under bettors.

This week's lesson for newbies

College football and the NFL account for sack yardage differently.

In the NFL, sack yards are subtracted from the team passing yards.

In college, those yards are subtracted from the quarterback's rushing yards.

This was a painful lesson for bettors who bet on USC QB Caleb Williams to get more than 33.5 rushing yards against Utah. Williams recorded a 59-yard run in the first quarter to set up USC's second TD.

But because Williams was sacked seven times, Williams finished with 21 rushing yards on 12 carries. He was sacked three times in a span of six USC plays in the fourth quarter.

His rushing O/U was 33.5 Even more painful? Williams was sacked for a 16-yard loss on the next-to-last play.

Conference USA over

Over bettors were feeling fairly confident as UTSA held a 34-20 lead over North Texas heading into the fourth quarter of the C-USA title game. The O/U was 70.

But the teams combined to score three touchdowns in a 9.5-minute span.

Over bettors had a slim chance as the Mean Green took over at their own 19 with 5:45 to go, trailing 41-27. North Texas elected to go for it on fourth and 8 from its 21 and failed.

Three plays later, the Roadrunners were in the end zone.

Final: UTSA 48, North Texas 27

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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