NFL Betting: The Worst Beats of the NFL’s Opening Weekend

The NFL season kicked off with a bang over the weekend, and NFL betting sites saw a significant uptick as a result. We saw some major upsets, thrilling finishes, and some terrible beats.

A “bad beat” refers to a bet that comes close to winning but is thwarted by a heartbreaking play or penalty. These are where bettors momentarily celebrated, only to see their bet slip become worthless by the game’s conclusion.

Below, we will share the worst betting losses of the weekend, how each happened, and the odds for the losing side.

Bad Beat: Eagles -3.5 (-110 at Caesars Sportsbook)

NFL fans enjoyed plenty of exciting action this weekend, and this game was no exception. Many expected the Eagles to cruise against an average Patriots team, but New England had something else in mind.

The Eagles led the game 16-0 after the first quarter, but the Patriots scored 14 unanswered points in the second to close the gap. Three Philly field goals helped them pull ahead, but the Patriots scored a touchdown with 3 minutes remaining to cut the game to five. However, their two-point conversation failed.

While that left bettors who took the Patriots +3.5 heartbroken, the team managed to get the ball back and drive down to the Eagles’ 20. With 27 seconds to go, New England completed a fourth-down pass to get to the Eagles 12, but after a review, the play was reversed, leading to a five-point loss.

Bad Beat: Chargers -3 at (-110 at Caesars Sportsbook)

Being a Chargers fan isn’t easy, and Sunday was no exception. Many fans and bettors were left heartbroken by their playoff loss to end last season, and they were looking for the Chargers to bounce back to kick off the new year. LA came in as a three-point favorite at home against the Dolphins, and the game would be the most exciting of the weekend.

These two teams were tied at 7-7 with 1:15 left in the first quarter, and they stayed within four points of each other for the remainder of the day. While the Chargers defense did some things right, their inability to cover Tyreek Hill kept this game close. The receiver finished with 215 yards and two touchdowns and would ultimately devastate bettors who took the Chargers -3.

LA led the game 36-34 with 2:08 left, and SoFi stadium was as loud as ever as they punted the ball to Miami. Things got even louder when Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa fumbled on the second play of the drive, with the Chargers recovering to ice the game with another touchdown. Unfortunately for bettors, the call was overturned, and Tua threw a 47-yard pass to Hill on the next play.

The Dolphins would score a touchdown and shut down the Chargers on a final drive, leading to a two-point win. Our condolences to those who have bet the Chargers’ last two games.

Bad Beat: Broncos -3 (-110 at Caesars Sportsbook)

The Broncos did a lot to improve over the offseason, highlighted by bringing on Super Bowl-winning coach Sean Payton. While some of that hype was dampened after they lost top receiver Jerry Jeudy for the first few weeks, they believed quarterback Russell Wilson was in store for a bounce-back season. That led to a flood of Broncos bets at US sportsbooks this season, which would prove to be a costly mistake.

This game was close throughout, but it was far from thrilling. Many long-drawn-out drives didn’t result in points, and they scored a total of 10 in the entire second half. It was ugly to watch, and those who took the Broncos -3 were about to see it get even uglier.

With 5:08 left in the game, the Broncos punted while trailing the Raiders by just one point. The hope was to get another stop and the ball back, but that isn’t what happened. Vegas would slowly march down the field, converting on third and long twice.

The worst was before the two-minute warning when the Broncos allowed Garoppolo to scramble for eight yards on a third down with seven yards to go. It was hard to watch and even worse for those who bet on the Broncos.