It was a rough day for a public that largely backed Week 8 favorites. However, no loss was as frustrating as the bad beat Green Bay Packers backers suffered against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
A massive 88% of the handle and 91% of all bets were on Green Bay, laying 3.5 points. They were in control for most of the game before blowing it late. Still, it appeared they were on the way to covering in the final minute.
Not so fast.
Instead of plowing into the end zone with 59 seconds remaining in a tie game, lightly-used running Chris Brooks wisely fell to the ground shy of the goal line. The Jaguars were allowing him to score to ensure getting the ball back, but Brooks instead hit the ground at the four-yard line.
From there, the Packers took a pair of knees to set up a 24-yard Brandon McManus chip shot as time expired. However, the win came at the expense of the cover. Unfortunately, it was a fitting end to a frustrating day for the public.
Jordan Love exited the game early in the second half, while Green Bay also twice blew double-digit leads. That included allowing Jacksonville to score 10 points in just under four minutes to knot the score at 27 apiece with just 1:58 left.
The best path to a cover likely involved going to overtime. Either the Packers would get into field goal range, or they’d be forced to punt the ball back to the Jaguars. However, they were given life when Malik Willis hit Jayden Reed for a 51-yard gain on a blown coverage. It turned out to be a tease, though, when Brooks fell to the turf so Green Bay could settle for three instead of seven.
