10 worst football bad beats of the decade
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With the decade nearly over, you could revel in all the bets you nailed, the ones into which you poured your soul and netted the sweet reward of a cashed ticket. Of course, you rarely remember the ones that hit. No, instead, you'll remember the horrific bad beats - the ones into which you poured our soul, only to be hit with a two-by-four in the waning moments.
There's something particularly painful about a bad beat in football. Sure, meaningless buzzer-beaters in basketball and late moon shots in baseball can cripple bettors, but the empty feeling that accompanies watching an insignificant scoop-and-score with no time left is unrivaled. Even when the clock hits zeroes, it's never really over.
If you were on the wrong end of any of these, you might want to look away. For the rest of you - and those ready to face the pain - let's revisit 10 of the most gut-wrenching, unfathomable football bad beats of the 2010s.
Bahamas Bowl: Western Kentucky 49, Central Michigan 48 (2014)Bad beat: Western Kentucky -2.5
What would this list be without the infamous 2014 Bahamas Bowl, which saw Western Kentucky take a 49-14 lead with just under 12 minutes left? Nearly everything would have to go wrong to give the Hilltoppers cause for concern - and oh boy, how it did.
Central Michigan scored two touchdowns in less than four minutes, then forced a red-zone fumble to set up another score with 3:06 to go. After yet another TD cut Western Kentucky's lead to seven with 1:09 left, the Chippewas attempted an onside kick - and failed to recover. But a late punt gave them the ball with one second left on their own 25.
Hilltopper bettors, shield your eyes:
Central Michigan then went for two and failed, meaning the epic comeback was all for naught. Well, unless you had the Chippewas. Sorry, Western Kentucky -2.5 bettors.
Belk Bowl: Cincinnati 48, Duke 34 (2012)Bad beat: Duke +10
It's hard to get worse than this one, which saw Duke take an immediate 16-0 first-quarter lead after getting anywhere from +9 to +10 at kickoff. The Bearcats then ripped off 27 unanswered points. The Blue Devils rallied to tie it at 34, only to fall behind by seven with 44 seconds left.
Duke bettors couldn't care less: They were getting more than a touchdown, and their team had the ball. But that was before quarterback Sean Renfree got hit so hard it looked like he was mauled by an actual bearcat, leading to the worst-case scenario for Blue Devil backers:
- Over Cleveland Alexander (@OvaCLEAlexander) December 20, 2019
Renfree didn't even get off the turf, surely feeling a pain similar to that of those who bet the underdog.
Week 4: Chiefs 29, Redskins 20 (2017)Bad beat: Redskins +6.5, under 47.5
Announcer Sean McDonough's assertion that "this might be meaningful to some" didn't do this heartbreak justice, but it perfectly encapsulated the sting of the final play in Kansas City's Monday night win over Washington in 2017.
The Redskins (+6.5) had no business winning at Arrowhead, but when they took an early 10-0 lead, underdog bettors were sitting pretty. Tied at 17 after three quarters, the teams traded field goals in the fourth, capped by Harrison Butker's 43-yarder to give the Chiefs a 23-20 lead with four seconds left. Surely 'Skins and under bettors were safe ... right?
Ask Justin Houston about your silly bets:
Week 15: Falcons 29, 49ers 22 (2019)WILD ending to #WASvsKC! pic.twitter.com/Vo7bD9M5R0
- NFL (@NFL) October 3, 2017
Bad beat: Under 48.5
Two years after that Monday night fiasco, Redskins +6.5 bettors were victimized by another horrific bad beat ... and it wasn't even the worst gambling loss of the afternoon.
That belonged to those who bet the under in the 49ers-Falcons game, which looked like a cashed ticket for 59 minutes and 58 seconds. The two teams combined for 23 points through the first three quarters and had totaled 39 points with two seconds left.
That's when Julio Jones scored the go-ahead touchdown, which under bettors will say was short as they go to their graves:
JULIO JONES FOR THE WIN OVER THE 49ERS
- SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 16, 2019
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/Nm8sF4Z3Nf
Even that score only brought the total to 45 points. It would take an absolute catastrophe for the game to go over. Or, you know, a bad lateral:
Week 6: Ohio State 40, Northwestern 30 (2013)We'll take that TD, too! pic.twitter.com/ZXrN8KnLCE
- Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) December 16, 2019
Bad beat: Northwestern +6
Did someone say lateral?
This one belongs in the Bad Beat Hall of Infamy for two reasons: the bad beat itself, and the epic acknowledgment of the bad beat by announcer Brent Musburger, a Northwestern graduate.
His alma mater started well, taking a 23-13 lead in the third quarter before Ohio State answered with two scores. The Buckeyes held a four-point lead late, but Wildcat bettors were still safe. With five seconds left and Northwestern on its 8-yard line, only chaos could ruin the bet.
Enter the lateral, the sworn enemy of underdog bettors:
Musburger said it best: "There are some folks who are celebrating, and others who are saying, 'You've got to be kidding me.'" Bonus points for Northwestern losing in an equally devastating way in 2019, too.
Super Bowl LI: Patriots 34, Falcons 28 (2017)Bad beat: Falcons +3
Everyone knows how devastating this loss was for Falcons fans, who will never live down the "28-3" memes. But what about for those who bet Atlanta +3?
They could hardly imagine losing their bet when the Falcons held a 25-point lead with just over two minutes left in the third quarter. Even when the Patriots cut it to 28-12 with 9:44 left, the dream was alive.
It died quickly. New England scored two touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions in the final six minutes of regulation, the final scoring drive aided by this ridiculously improbable catch from Julian Edelman:
Still can't believe that Julian Edelman catch? Here's the miraculous play from every angle: https://t.co/Za4GmGUeSX #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/w18irgctck
- USA TODAY (@USATODAY) February 6, 2017
At least Falcons bettors could still win in overtime or even push if the Patriots kicked a field goal, as they've so often done in the Super Bowl. Tell that to James White, haunter of Falcons bettors' dreams:
New Mexico Bowl: Colorado State 48, Washington State 45 (2013)James White YOU ARE A GOD! The play that won the #Patriots, Brady & Belichick their 5th #SuperBowl title, 34-28, over the Falcons! pic.twitter.com/m7dtdZuImS
- Carl Setterlund (@CarlSetterlund) February 6, 2017
Bad beats: Washington State -4.5
Teams have squandered bigger leads in less time than Washington State did in the New Mexico Bowl in 2013. But few have done so in such devastating fashion.
The Cougars were up by 15 with under three minutes to play when Colorado State capped a nine-play, 85-second drive with a touchdown to cut the lead to eight. Yet, curiously, the Rams opted to kick off with only two timeouts remaining; Washington State simply had to run out the clock to reward spread bettors.
Just, you know, don't fumble:
Colorado State converted the turnover into a score with 33 seconds left, tying the game. The lead was blown, but Washington State -4.5 was still in play with an overtime rally.
Nope. Another fumble on the ensuing kickoff set the Rams up for the game-winning field goal. Two fumbles, 18 points, and a lot of ripped tickets in another Mike Leach collapse.
Week 8: Rams 29, Packers 27 (2018)Bad beat: Rams -7.5, over 57
Fantasy football managers are all too familiar with the horror of a player giving up before the goal line, much like Miles Sanders did for the Eagles last week. But Rams bettors will never forgive Todd Gurley, who made a business decision that cost bettors everywhere.
Perhaps Los Angeles bettors deserved to lose, given the Rams only covered for a mere 37 seconds against the Packers. But with just over a minute left, those who bet L.A. -7.5 or over 57 were giddy as Gurley jetted through a wide-open hole to the end zone.
Well, not quite:
Todd Gurley seals the game with a first down and the Rams are 8-0 " @TG3II pic.twitter.com/gx2zVNbJky
- The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) October 28, 2018
The run not only ruined spread and over bets, but it also torpedoed those who tried to middle Rams -7.5 and -9.5 and anyone who teased L.A. down from the original number. Curse football logic.
Armed Forces Bowl: Houston 35, Pittsburgh 34 (2015)Bad beat: Pittsburgh -3
Bowl season is a brutal time to hold a late lead, but those who bet Pittsburgh -3 surely had to feel safe with a 31-6 lead and 11 minutes left. They still had little reason to sweat holding a 34-13 advantage with less than four minutes remaining.
Cue the mayhem.
The Cougars scored three touchdowns in the final four minutes, needing two onside kicks and a ridiculous 4th-and-13 conversion for their second score. Still, with everything against them, Panther bettors could at least hold out hope for an overtime cover.
But Houston had other ideas, taking the lead on a wild two-point conversion before Pitt's final pass from midfield fell with a thud.
Relive the comeback in all of its beauty - or horror, if you had the Panthers:
Week 4: Tulane 38, Houston 31 (2019)Bad beat: Houston +5.5
Revenge for the pain Houston inflicted upon bettors four years earlier. You can't blame Cougar backers if they missed the end of this one - their side held a commanding 28-7 lead early in the second quarter in D'Eriq King's final start of the year.
Then the Green Wave scored 24 straight to take a three-point lead late in the fourth quarter. Still, all wasn't lost for the Cougars, who dropped a potential go-ahead touchdown in the final minute but managed a tying field goal with 21 seconds left.
Tulane seemed content with overtime ... until it wasn't:
Perhaps just as crazy as Tulane's game-winner: This fake kneel play to set it up. pic.twitter.com/VS9i8C0kd6
- CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) September 20, 2019
That alone couldn't crush Houston bettors.
But a last-second touchdown sure could.
Tulane with a wild game-winning TD! TM
- theScore (@theScore) September 20, 2019
(: @CBSSportsHQ) pic.twitter.com/RQ2EWTPSdW
What a year. What a decade.
C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.
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