The Seattle Seahawks were involved in their second controversial game this season but this time in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night in Week 7.
No, it had nothing to do with a blown call, missed assignment, or turnover this time. The result of the game was as it should be. Sort of.
But if you were a bettor who placed a wager on the 49ers, then you are probably waking up this morning a little heated. And for good reason.
Most bookmakers in Vegas and online had the 49ers as an 8.5-point favorite over the Seahawks on Thursday Night Football. Entering the final minutes of the game, San Francisco held a 13-6 lead but had to punt the ball following the two minute warning and two Seattle timeouts.
The change of possession left Seattle at their own 11 yard line with just 1:36 to go. After a quick 5 yard game on first down, Seattle QB Russell Wilson was sacked for a 7 yard loss. Then, a 3rd down holding penalty put Seattle back to their own 4 yard line to re-attempt 3rd down. After an incomplete pass, Seattle was facing 4th and 17 to keep the game going during which one offensive lineman engaged a defensive rusher that was already engaged by a different blocker. This drew the penalty which would have resulted in a safety, a 15-6 score, and a cover for San Francisco bettors… had Niners head coach Jim Harbaugh decided to accept it which he didn’t.
Instead of putting points on the board and making it a two possession game with possession of the ball, Harbaugh opted to decline the penalty and take the result of the play that ended up being just inches short of the first down marker. The result was San Francisco ball at the Seahawks 20 yard line with just :43 to play. After two Alex Smith kneel downs, the game was over with a final score of 13-6.
A win is a win right? Well, not for everybody… because a lot of people lost money on that decision. Instead of the 9 point margin which would have covered the spread for San Francisco bettors, the end result was just a 7 point margin, 1.5 points shy of the cover for the favorite.
While under different circumstances, the Packers Seahawks MNF debacle created a similar scenario for those who bet on Green Bay for that game in Seattle. But, that swing of fortune for Seattle bettors fails in comparison to the financial swing that happened after this decision.
Kevin Bradley, sportsbook manager for Bovada, one of the foremost authorities in the online sports betting, provided NFLSeasonSchedules.com with the following quote:
“It seems controversy has been the theme in the NFL this season when it comes to betting on it and last night once again a call at the end of the game affected the point spread directly. With the spread moving between 7.5 and 8.5 all day yesterday the safety would have allowed the Niners to cover winning by 9, however this game was pretty evenly bet so we did not see as much of a backlash as we did last time Seattle covered on the last play touchdown call against Green Bay. Safety or no safety was not a huge swing for the book either way.”
Of course, as any reasonable bettor or bookmaker will tell you, that is the nature of the game when it comes to betting on sports. The game isn’t over until it’s over. There are good breaks, and there are bad breaks.
The odd decision by Harbaugh certainly generated a variety of responses from those in the sports betting industry.
“With the Packers game, it was in the hands of the replacement refs, and this time it was in the hands of Harbaugh’s decision,” said Las Vegas bookmaker and William Hill North America spokesperson Jimmy Vaccaro. “That’s what makes sports betting so unique. There’s always a human touch involved.”
San Francisco was a great bet to cover the spread last season as a surprise in the NFC West. This season, they entered as the favorites in the division and were 4-2 against the spread going into Thursday Night Football, but now sit at 4-3 ATS on the season.
Meanwhile, the Seahawks are 5-2 against the spread this season, getting the benefit of both the Packers and 49ers result… oddsmakers must really like Seahawks bettors.
For those who got burned, all we can say is we’re sorry. It really hurts to lose a bet in such fashion and we’ve had our hearts broken before too. But, it’s not the first time something like this has happened… Bryan Westbrook laying down at the 1 yard line comes to mind, as does the aforementioned Seattle/Green Bay controversy. You just have to get back on the horse and try to recoup. With 11 more games to go on Sunday plus Monday Night Football, there are plenty of opportunities to make up ground.
See the lines for week 7 NFL games at Bovada by clicking the preceding link and see if you can find something that’s going to make it all better.