Patrick Mahomes made the right call to help his team win a football game Sunday.
But he made the wrong move for a lot of bettors.
With the Chiefs ahead by three points in the final two minutes, Mahomes slid short of the end zone on a scramble instead of taking the freebie touchdown.
That decision secured a 23-20 road victory, but cost those who bet on the Chiefs to cover as 7.5-point favorites for “Sunday Night Football” at MetLife Stadium.
Mahomes scoring a touchdown would have put the Chiefs ahead by a minimum of nine points – and likely 10 – and the Chiefs would have been in position to cover.
By taking this slide instead of scoring, Patrick Mahomes may have ruined thousands of bets that had the Chiefs sitting around -7.5 or -8 coming into the game.
Heartbreaking for the parlays 😭
— MJ Hurley (@mjhurleytdt) October 2, 2023
ESPN reported that a conservative estimate of $80 million was wagered on “Sunday Night Football’ and 80-90 percent of bets backed Kansas City.
Mahomes’ slide provided an eight-figure swing for sportsbooks, per the report.
One bookmaker told USA Today that the slide was “the biggest decision I’ve seen in three years.”
Action Network reported that 96 percent of bets via Caesars backed Kansas City to cover against the Zach Wilson-led Jets.
I’d estimate conservatively that $80 million was bet on Chiefs-Jets around the US, with 80-90% of the money on favored Kansas City.
Mahomes’ heady decision to slide before scoring a TD that would’ve covered the spread undoubtedly caused an 8-figure swing in favor of the books.
— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) October 2, 2023
This is not to say Chiefs backers would have definitely won their bet had Mahomes scored.
Wilson played quite well Sunday and it’s possible he could have led the Jets to a touchdown or field goal that would have resulted in a Jets’ cover.
However, seeing Mahomes pass on a wide-open touchdown is a tough pill to swallow.
Mahomes scrambled left on a third-and-8 at the Jets’ 11-yard line and easily would have scored, but he instead slid to ensure the Jets would not get the ball back.
Betting on the NFL?
- Check out the best NFL betting sites
- Read our expert guide on how to bet on the NFL
- Get the latest Super Bowl 2023 Odds.
- Get the BetMGM Bonus Code
Notorious Patriots homer Dave Portnoy ripped Mahomes for his decision.
“I get that sliding was theoretically the right move by Maholmes,” Portnoy posted on X. “BUT it’s not. Kansas is a legal gambling state. He let down all his fans. He stole money right out of their wallets. Now they can’t afford dinner. Disgusting. #malhomesquitonkcfans.”
I get that sliding was theoretically the right move by Maholmes. BUT it’s not. Kansas is a legal gambling state. He let down all his fans. He stole money right out of their wallets. Now they can’t afford dinner. Disgusting. #malhomesquitonkcfans
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) October 2, 2023
Sportsbooks also cleaned up on Travis Kelce props.
Kelce did not shine for the Swiftiies nor gal pal Taylor Swift, catching just six passes for 60 yards and failing to score.
The tight end’s props were the highest liabilities at DraftKings, according to Darren Rovell.
“DraftKings took in two times the amount of money on Travis Kelce props yesterday than they took in for the 1st three games combined,” Rovell tweeted on X. “Over longest reception (21.5), anytime TD (-125) and Over receiving yards (71.5) were all losers for bettors.”
DraftKings took in two times the amount of money on Travis Kelce props yesterday than they took in for the 1st three games combined.
Over longest reception (21.5), anytime TD (-125) and Over receiving yards (71.5) were all losers for bettors.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) October 2, 2023
Mahomes’ decision is now an early favorite or co-leader for the NFL’s bad beat of the season, alongside Sean McVay kicking a meaningless field goal in the final seconds of a 30-23 loss to the 49ers that burned those who bet on the 49ers to cover as 7.5-point road favorites.
