NFL Week 9 Bad Beat of the Week
Clear-Cut Winner in NFL Week 9 Bad Beat Rankings
There are tough losses and bad beats nearly every Sunday of the NFL season. Those who are betting on NFL games know they’re going to happen from time-to-time. But some of them are a bit harder to swallow than others. There were a couple of tough losses on Sunday. But there was one horrible loss that earned the top spot in the NFL Week 9 bad beat rankings.
No. 3 New Orleans -9.5
When an NFL team has a turnover margin of +4 of greater, they’ve posted a 703-52-6 record against the NFL betting lines since 1989. You can change that to 703-53-6 after the New Orleans Saints failed to cover the 9.5-point spread against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, winning 24-17. That puts the Saints No. 3 on the NFL Week 9 bad beat rankings.
With Tyson Bagent starting at quarterback for Chicago, the Saints were expected to have no trouble with the Bears. But that wasn’t the case. The NFL teams were tied at halftime and New Orleans took its first lead of the game in the third quarter on a 55-yard field goal by Blake Grupe in the third quarter. The Bears tied the score, but New Orleans grabbed a 24-17 lead with 11:05 remaining in the game.
Bagent threw an interception on the second play following the touchdown and the Saints took over on the Chicago 38. New Orleans reached the Chicago 17, but instead of trying a field goal, went for it on fourth down and were stopped.
The Saints picked off another pass and took over on the Chicago 46, but were forced to punt. The Bears went three-and-out and New Orleans took over on the Chicago 36 after a facemask penalty. After being held without a first down, the Saints attempted a 47-yard field goal with 2:30 remaining.
Grupe hit the left upright and the score remained 24-17. The Bears committed their fifth turnover and New Orleans recovered on Chicago’s 18. The Saints converted on 3rd-and-2 with 1:13 remaining, when a stop most likely meant a field goal attempt. New Orleans took a knee on the final play to run out the clock. Those who bet over 41.5 also had a tough loss.
No. 2 Atlanta Falcons -3.5
The Atlanta Falcons check in at No. 2 on the NFL Week 9 bad beat rankings, after allowing a late touchdown to Minnesota. The Falcons not only failed to cover the spread, they failed to win the game. Atlanta bettors had to be feeling confident about their chances when Joshua Dobbs came in after an injury to Jaren Hall early in the game. But Dobbs was solid, keeping the Vikings in the game.
The Falcons took a 21-13 lead in the third quarter and forced a three-and-out. But the Falcons fumbled on their own 40 and the Vikings recovered. A 17-yard touchdown run by Dobbs and a 2-point conversion tied the score.
Atlanta’s Taylor Heinicke was intercepted on the next play from scrimmage and Minnesota converted the pick into a field goal. The Falcons regained the lead, 28-24, on a Tyler Allgeier touchdown with 2:08 remaining.
The Vikings converted a 4th-and-7 at the Atlanta 34 on a 12-yard run by Dobbs. That set up a 6-yard TD pass to Brandon Powell with 22 seconds remaining and the Vikings stole a 31-28 victory. The scores and odds worked against Atlanta bettors in that game.
No. 1 Houston Texans -2.5
Hands down one of the worst NFL beats of the 2023 NFL season so far, the Houston Texans deserve the top spot in this week’s NFL Week 9 bad beat rankings. The point spread finish was about the only thing wrong with the game, which was likely the most entertaining game Sunday.
Even though the point spread wasn’t determined until the final seconds, the stage was set in the first half. Houston kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn suffered a quad injury and didn’t play in the second half. The Texans attempted three 2-point conversions after touchdowns in the second half, making one of them.
The Texans took a 33-30 lead with 8:45 remaining in the game on a 29-yard field goal by running back Dare Ogunbowale. But the Buccaneers regained the lead, 37-33, on a Baker Mayfield touchdown pass with 46 seconds remaining.
But 46 seconds and two timeouts was more than enough for Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud. Stroud set the NFL rookie record passing yardage with 470, the last 15 coming on a touchdown pass to Tank Dell with six seconds remaining. It was Stroud’s fifth passing touchdown of the day.
But with Ogunbowale serving as the team’s emergency kicker, the Texans didn’t take a chance on a blocked kick being returned for two points the other way. But instead of running or passing on the 2-point conversion, the Texans took a knee. What looked like an amazing come-from-behind victory, turned into a stunning point spread loss for those who took Houston -2.5.
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