National Football League

NFL odds Week 14: Wacky wins and bad beats

Updated Dec. 11, 2022 8:54 p.m. ET

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The Houston Texans are slogging through a one-win season.

Texans moneyline bettors (+700 at FOX Bet, bet $10 to win $80 total) were even more miserable after the Dallas Cowboys rallied for a 27-23 win over Houston after an epic 11-play, 98-yard drive in a Texas-sized NFL game on Sunday.

Welcome to the world of wacky wins and bad beats in sports betting.

Each week, we'll recap the betting plays that had some people cashing in and others tearing up their tickets in frustration. To paraphrase famed broadcaster Al Michaels, "Those plays are significant to some."

Let's dive into this week's craziness!

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Texans suffer Texas-sized loss

The Texans led 23-17 heading into the fourth quarter. Then, leading 23-20, Houston looked to be in good shape after consecutive bad plays by Dallas deep in Cowboys territory.

On first down from the Dallas 13, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was sacked and fumbled, but the 'Boys recovered for a 10-yard loss.

On the next play, Prescott threw an interception to Tremon Smith and the Texans took over at the Dallas 4. 

However, after two running plays resulting in losses, sandwiched around a short completion, Houston had a fourth-and-3.

The Texans went for it and came up short, giving the Cowboys the ball at their own 2-yard line with 3:20 to go.

Eleven plays later, Ezekiel Elliott scored on a 2-yard run to give Dallas a 27-23 lead. It was Dallas' longest drive in the fourth quarter to take the lead since it had a 98-yard drive in 2017 against the Eagles.

One final blow for bettors in this game: The Over/Under (O/U) was 43.5 points, so Elliott's TD was bad news for Under bettors.

Every point counts

Buffalo backers (-9.5) were fairly confident, as the Bills led the New York Jets 20-7. However, midway through the fourth quarter, Buffalo failed to pick up a first down and punted, but the kick was blocked and went out of bounds in the end zone for a safety, making it 20-9.

Still, Buffalo was covering, and the Jets were playing backup quarterback Mike White, who deserves a medal after taking this hit. 

Trailing 20-9, the Jets faced fourth-and-1 from the Buffalo 9-yard line. They faced a decision whether to go for it or kick a field goal. If New York didn't pick up a first down, the Bills would cover.

The Jets elected to kick a 26-yard FG with 1:18 to go, making it 20-12, ruining the bet for Buffalo bettors, who laid the 9.5 points.

Fourth quarter costs bettors

The O/U for the Vikings-Lions game was 52 combined points, and Detroit led 21-13 early in the fourth quarter.

But the teams combined for two touchdowns and three field goals in the next five possessions, much to the chagrin of Under bettors.

The final score was Lions 34, Vikings 23.

Battle of backup quarterbacks

The Baltimore Ravens were two-point underdogs against the Pittsburgh Steelers without star quarterback Lamar Jackson, who sat out with a knee injury.

Ravens backup QB Tyler Huntley entered concussion protocol in the second half and was replaced by undrafted rookie free agent Anthony Brown.

The Steelers played backup QB Mitch Trubisky after starter Kenny Pickett suffered a concussion in the first half.

Steelers backers were haunted by Trubisky's performance, as he threw three interceptions, all of which came in the red zone.

Trubisky threw a TD pass late in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough, as the Ravens won 16-14, cashing in for Baltimore moneyline and spread bettors.

Reason it is called OVERtime

There was only one major college football game Saturday — the 123rd meeting between Army and Navy.

The game was tied at 10 going into overtime, with the Under in the O/U hitting the previous 16 times (!). The O/U was 33.5 points at FOX Bet.

It took all of two plays in OT to ruin the day for Under bettors.

Army's Markel Johnson scored on a 25-yard run on the first play to make it 17-10.

On Navy's first play, QB Xavier Arline completed a 25-yard TD pass to Maquel Haywood to make it 17-17 and destroy the tickets for Under bettors.

The capper? It was Arline's lone completion in the game.

Army won 20-17 in double OT.

Ouch

Stay tuned for more wackiness!

And if you want to join in on the fun (or madness), head over to FOX Bet for all your wagers.

Download the FOX Super 6 app for your chance to win thousands of dollars on the biggest sporting events each and every week! Just make your picks and you could win the grand prize. Download and play today!

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National Football League

Markel Johnson

Maquel Haywood

Navy Midshipmen

Army West Point Black Knights

Tremon Smith

Houston Texans

Dallas Cowboys

Ezekiel Elliott

Dak Prescott

Buffalo Bills

New York Jets

Mike White

Minnesota Vikings

Detroit Lions

Baltimore Ravens

Lamar Jackson

Tyler Huntley

Anthony Brown Jr.

Mitchell Trubisky

Kenny Pickett