NFL Gamblers Irate That the LA Rams Kicked a ‘Meaningless’ End-of-Game FG Which Covered the Point Spread

Ahmad Austin Jr.Sep 18th, 2023, 1:27 pm
 

The Los Angeles Rams became the talk of gambling Twitter on Sunday when the team kicked a game-ending field goal despite its loss being virtually guaranteed.

Going into the game, the San Francisco 49ers were 7.5-point favorites according to multiple sportsbooks. As the game was coming to an end, the Niners led 30-20. For bettors that took the 49ers to win by more than 7.5 — things were looking good and it seemed like they were just minutes away from winning some money.

Those bettors’ moods drastically changed when, with four second left, the Rams kicked a field goal to lose by seven points — obviously under 7.5 — instead of 10.

The decision naturally caught a lot of attention online, with some calling a prime example of the unforgiving nature of sports betting and others levying serious accusations against the Rams.

As others have noted online, the decision to kick likely wasn’t as nefarious as people are making it out to be. With the field goal, the Rams cut the lead to seven. If there was a second or two left after the kick, the Rams would have had enough time to attempt an onside kick and — if they recovered it — launch a hail mary into the end zone to try to tied the game. Perhaps Rams coach Sean McVay simply misjudged how much time would come off the clock during the field goal attempt.

Another possibility is that the Rams simply wanted to score as many points as possible just in case that tiebreaker comes into play later in the season. The battle for the NFC West between the Rams, Niners, and even the Seahawks could come down to the wire, and “best net points” is part of the NFL’s tiebreaking procedures.

Watch above via FOX

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