Green Bay Bettors Feeling the Pain
Packers One of NFL Week 10 Bad Bets
There are bad bets in the NFL and then there are bad bets. Anybody who took the Jacksonville Jaguars +3 against the 49ers on Sunday had one of the NFL Week 10 bad bets. Those who took the Packers +3 or the Atlanta Falcons on the moneyline had a different kind of NFL Week 10 bad bets. Those types of NFL games, usually referred to as “bad beats,” are among the most frustrating for bettors. When you make a pick like Jacksonville, you know you were off the mark. But when you lose on Green Bay +3 against the NFL betting lines, you know you probably had the right side. But Lady Luck was dressed in black and gold that day.
Green Bay Packers +3
The Steelers and the Packers traded touchdowns on their opening possessions and Pittsburgh scored again on its second drive. Pittsburgh jumped out to a 17-7 lead with a field goal on its third drive of the game. But the Packers answered with a 35-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Love to Jayden Reed. The extra-point was blocked and the Steelers led 17-13 at halftime.
The Packers scored field goals on each of their first two drives in the second half to take a 19-17 lead. That was a common theme throughout the day, as Green Bay finished 1 of 5 in the red zone. The Steelers were 2 of 3.
The Steelers regained the lead with a field goal of their own and took a four-point lead with 5:14 remaining.
Love and the Packers went to work, reaching the Pittsburgh 15 in less than a minute. But with 3:20 remaining, Love was intercepted in the end zone. With all three timeouts and the two-minute warning, the Packers could have attempted a spread-covering field goal on fourth down. But they may have also gone for it. We’ll never know.
The Packers were able to force a punt, but the Steelers made Green Bay use all three timeouts. Green Bay took over from its 19 with a minute remaining. The Packers reached the Pittsburgh 16, but Love was again intercepted on the final play of the game and Steeler bettors hung on for the cover.
The Packers outgained the Steelers 399 to 324. But Green Bay also had the only two turnovers in the contest at the end.
Atlanta Falcons -130
Neither the Atlanta Falcons or the Arizona Cardinals were popular NFL Week 10 picks. But the teams did provide one of the more entertaining games of the day on Sunday. It was a little too entertaining for Atlanta moneyline bettors, as the Cardinals won on the last play of the game.
The big news entering the game was the return of Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray. He showed some rust, which you have to expect after not playing since January. But he also showed why he was considered one of the most exciting NFL players in the league a couple of years ago.
The game was close throughout. The Falcons took the largest lead of the contest, 14-6, with a little more than four minutes remaining in the second quarter. But Murray scored on a 6-yard run with 10 seconds remaining in the half to make it 14-12. The two-point conversion failed and that was the score at halftime.
Both NFL teams traded field goals, but a huge punt return by Arizona gave the Cardinals the ball on the Atlanta 21. Arizona scored just before the end of the third quarter to make it 22-17. The Falcons responded with a 54-yard drive but were stopped on downs at the Arizona 21.
The Cardinals punted and Atlanta was able to take the lead on a Desmond Ridder 9-yard run with 2:33 remaining. No problem for Murray, who made a highlight film 13-yard scramble on 3rd-and-10 to keep the drive alive. The Cardinals kicked a 23-yard field goal on the last play of the game to win 25-23 as 2.5-point underdogs. The spread wagers were never in question. But Atlanta on the moneyline turned into another of the NFL Week 10 bad bets.
Hopefully, the Monday night football score will treat Green Bay point spread or Atlanta moneyline bettors a little more kindly.
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