We’ve all seen fixtures that were so heavily one sided that it was totally pointless placing a wager on any of the broader markets.
The outcome seems written in stone, and the odds reflect that in their miniscule returns.
Most of us would just ignore the fixture, or maybe dig deeper for a bet within the market that was worth making. What we probably would not do, is find $1.4 million and stick it on the final result at such low odds that our payout would only be $11,200 more than the stake.
You read that right, one anonymous punter placed a $1.4 million wager at odds of -12500 and stood to make just over $11k if the bet won. They did so via DraftKings who confirmed the wager was real.
What was the bet?
It was for the LA Chargers to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars and the bet was placed live in-play, and at the point the bet was placed, the Chargers were leading 27-0 halfway through the second quarter.
Easy to understand then why the odds were so low, and why our poor bettor had decided that the game couldn’t go any other way.
But still, risking $1.4 million – even if that risk is perceived to be extremely low – to win an extra $11,200 doesn’t make a great deal of sense. It’s just a 0.8% return, but the risk is still 100%, as this punter found out.
One of the Biggest Comebacks in NFL History
With an early touchdown followed by a 22 yard field goal and a second touchdown in the dying seconds of the 1st quarter, the Chargers were 17-0 ahead going into the second.
A confident lead and one that would improve.
The Chargers scored another touchdown and then another field goal in the 2nd quarter, taking their score to 27-0, before the Jaguars showed a hint of what was coming by nabbing a touchdown of their own 24 seconds before the second quarter finished, with the score now at 27-7.
There were points for both teams in the 3rd but they all came in the final 5 minutes, and the Jaguars drew first blood with their second 7 point touchdown, before the LA Chargers converted a 50 yard field goal for what would end up being their final 3 points.
At 30-14 their lead was still significant, but less than a minute before the quarter was out the Jacksonville Jaguars managed another touchdown, although this one was only a 6 pointer due to a failed 2 point conversion.
The 4th Quarter therefore began with the score at 30-20.
Most people would probably still be fairly confident at this point, but with $1.4 million on the line our anonymous bettor might have been getting a little fidgety.
When the Jaguars scored another 7 points via a 9 yard touchdown pass to Christian Kirk, though, everyone knew something special was coming.
As the game drew towards the end of normal time, Riley Patterson scored a 33-yard field goal to complete one of the biggest comebacks in NFL history, and sent the Jaguars sailing through to the divisional round.
They went on to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs, but that will have been no consolation for our punter, whose bank account now had a $1.4 million hole in it. Yikes.