NFL Betting Week 1 TNF Bad Beats: Buccaneers Vs. Cowboys

There were (+110) odds for both teams to score a 33+ yard field goal.
There were (+300) odds for a score to take place in the final 2 minutes of the first half.
Ezekiel Elliott had (-120) odds to not score a touchdown in the game.

TAMPA – Week 1 of the NFL season kicked off with a Thursday Night Football matchup between the reigning Super Bowl Champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys. The game finished in what could be called “heart attack football” with a score of 31-29, Tampa.

In addition to this being a closely kept game, some might not have had the best time betting on the matchup as regulated sports betting sites suffered bad beats throughout the duration of the game.

Both Teams 33+ Yard Field Goal

The NFL odds on both teams making a 33+ yard field goal came down to the very last play of the game. The Cowboys hit their side of the prop with no problem early on in the second quarter when Greg Zuerlein hit a 35 yarder.

Those that bet against both teams hitting a 33-yard or more field goal had their dreams crushed on the very last play of the game. With 1:29 left in the game, the Cowboys had taken a 1-point lead which left more than enough time for Tom Brady to trot the offense down the field and potentially make a play.

Like he has done time and time again, with less than two minutes to go in the game, Brady was able to position Ryan Succop for a game-winning 36-yard field goal and cash the (+110) odds of both teams hitting a 33+ yard field goal.

Score To Take Place In Final 2 Min Of First Half

The people to thank for this bad beat are none other than Greg Zuerlein and Mike McCarthy. Going into the final two minutes of the game, Zuerlein had already missed an easy 31-yard field goal and with 2:23 left in the first half, Mike McCarthy opted for a 60-yard field goal attempt.

In his career, Greg Zuerlein has only made two field goals of 60 or more yards but being that he had already missed a chip shot earlier in the match, the right move would have been a punt.

What makes this beat even worse were all the penalties that led up to this point as they kicked the ball while on a 4th & 32 situation after two offensive holding calls that cost ten yards each.

Ezekiel Elliott To Score A Touchdown

Let’s face it, Ezekiel Elliott looked awful in this game after only seeing 11 carries for 33 yards. It explains why his odds to score a touchdown at any time in the game were set at (+250). Also, the Buccaneers run defense was ranked in the Top-5 last season which could have played a part as well.

However, Zeke had not one, but two chances to score a touchdown from inside the Buccaneers five-yard line and failed to do so both times. From the five-yard line, Elliott ran the ball up the middle for just two yards and one play later caught a pass that saw a loss of a yard which resulted in the Cowboys kicking a field goal.

The fact that Elliott had multiple chances to get things going all night and was kept quiet is concerning but also upsetting to those who took advantage of the longer odds and wagered on him to score a touchdown.

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Sam Profeta

Samuel has been writing professionally for 4 years. He comes from a sports writing background where he enjoys writing mostly about basketball and football both professional and collegiate. He is a recent graduate of Florida State University where he majored in Editing, Writing and Media with a minor in Communications. During his free time, you can find him watching or playing sports as well as playing videogames and listening to music.