NFL Week 17 Bad Beats: Lions ML Bettors Steamed

Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said he’s over the debacle at the end of the game with Dallas. Those who took Detroit on the moneyline aren’t quite as forgiving.

The Lions losing to Dallas in disputed fashion wasn’t the only one of the current NFL scores that was hard to swallow. The Colts left the backdoor wide open and the Raiders broke through.

There were also several games and totals decided by a point or less. We’ll look at the worst offenders in NFL Week 17 Bad Beats.

Indianapolis -3.5/Colts under 42.5

The Indianapolis Colts hosted the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday in dire need of a victory to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Raiders had a slim chance mathematically, but were essentially done and they knew it.

Things looked good for Indianapolis bettors at halftime, as the Colts led 14-3. The Colts were favored by 3.5 on the NFL betting lines.

But the Raiders drove down the field and scored to begin the second half to make it 14-10. The Colts responded with a field goal to make it 17-10 with a minute left in the third quarter. Following a Las Vegas punt, Indianapolis drove down for another field goal to make it 20-10 with 7:34 remaining in the game.

Las Vegas made it 20-13 with 4:34 remaining in the game. Aided by a 26-yard pass interference call against the Raiders, the Colts drove down to the Las Vegas 31. A 50-yard field attempt by Matt Gay hit the upright. But the Raiders were flagged for being offsides.

The next attempt was good to make it 23-13. But more importantly, it allowed the Colts to play soft on defense and force the Raiders to use some time off the clock.

That’s exactly what happened, as the Raiders scored on a 1-yard pass on fourth down with 43 seconds remaining to make it 23-20. Those who had the Colts or the under lost by a half-point in one of the NFL Week 17 bad beats.

Detroit +180 (moneyline)

The ending of the game has been talked about and re-played numerous times. But for good reason. The officials simply blew a call.

The Lions trailed the Dallas Cowboys 20-13 and scored with 23 seconds remaining in the game. It wasn’t a great game by Detroit quarterback Jared Goff, who had some poor NFL QB stats for the night. But he managed to lead the team to a touchdown when it needed one most.

The Lions’ touchdown made it a 20-19 game. But Detroit elected to go for the 2-point conversion. The Lions looked smart when Goff hit Taylor Decker with the conversion pass. But the officials flagged Decker for not reporting as an eligible receiver.

However, replays show Decker speaking to referee Brad Allen before the play. Allen then went and said something to the defense. That’s typically to tell the defense an offensive lineman has reported as an eligible receiver for the play.

But the officials said Dan Skipper reported as an eligible receiver, not Decker. Skipper denied reporting to the officials. But it didn’t make any difference. The Cowboys stopped Detroit’s next 2-point attempt and held on for the victory.

It’s small solace for Detroit moneyline bettors that Allen’s crew expected to be downgraded. That is likely to keep them from working playoff games. They’re still lamenting the worst of the NFL Week 17 bad beats.

For NFL betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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