First of all, our condolences to anyone who bet the OVER in Thursday night's wild showdown between the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals.
The total for "Thursday Night Football" settled at kickoff right at 50 points. That number, especially in today's NFL, certainly isn't that big, especially with two quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers and Kyler Murray. Yet, with the Packers' injury and COVID-19 issues, there always was a chance it could go under.
And for three quarters, it looked like that would be the case. The Green Bay defense was astounding in its ability to slow a high-powered Cardinals offense, helped in part by the fact all-everything Arizona receiver DeAndre Hopkins was slowed by a hamstring injury and played just 13 snaps.
And while the Packers led 17-14 after three, there still was plenty of hope for OVER bettors. That hope grew when Randall Cobb scored his second touchdown of the game, and the Packers went up 24-14, just 12 points from at least pushing the total of 50. Four minutes later, the Cardinals responded with a touchdown of their own, making it 24-21 and leaving 10:45 on the clock for 6 points to be scored to get to the OVER.
That, of course, didn't happen, and it's the sequence of events that really stings for those on the wrong side of the total bet. The first bad break came when the Packers were driving and ready to punch in a touchdown that essentially would ice the game. On first-and-goal from the 1-yard line, the Packers looked like they punched one in with Aaron Jones. Replay revealed otherwise, ruling Jones' rear end was down just before the goal line.
A maddening sequence followed for Packers fans and OVER bettors alike, as power running back A.J. Dillon watched from the Green Bay sideline while Aaron Rodgers and the offense experienced a comedy of errors. An inexplicable delay of game moved the Pack off the goal line, though a Rodgers scramble on third down set up a massive fourth-and-goal from the 1.
Green Bay went for it. Arizona was ready.
Murray, though, was ready to take his team all the way down the field and give the Cardinals -- and OVER bettors -- a chance to cash in. The Cardinals, after escaping the shadow of their own goal post, were in great position to at least extend the game. Trailing 24-21, a field goal would get them to overtime, and it also would almost guarantee the teams would go over 50 points.
Things looked really, really good when the Cardinals marched it all the way down inside the Green Bay 10-yard line with seconds to play.
And that's when things wide sideway, thanks to former Cardinals practice squadder Rasul Douglas.
To say that sort of thing doesn't happen often would be an understatement.
And the reactions were as you'd expect.
But hey, for every bad beat is a good win? So, congrats UNDER bettors.
