NFL bad beat: 49ers score with 4 seconds left to push the game over as Joe Buck and Troy Aikman crack jokes
It’s probably noble that the San Francisco 49ers didn’t want to give up long after Thursday night’s game was decided.
If you bet on the under, it didn’t feel so warm and fuzzy.
The 49ers, unable to do anything on offense all night against the Green Bay Packers, finally found liife in the final few minutes. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan called a timeout instead of letting the final seconds run out. The 49ers ran empty sets and went to no huddle.
With 4 seconds left the game went over the total. Troy Aikman and Joe Buck noticed.
Under looked safe most of Thursday night
The over/under opened at 51, and was down to 48 at BetMGM by kickoff. Of all the money bet on the over/under, 55.5% was on the under.
Those under bets looked great until about five minutes left. The depleted 49ers offense couldn’t move the ball. The Packers started easing up, running the ball most of the fourth quarter. The Packers led 31-3 about halfway through the fourth quarter, and they had no reason to score anymore. Even when Mason Crosby barely hit a 53-yard field goal with a little more than six minutes left, it was 34-3 and bettors had at least an 11-point cushion.
Most teams at that point give up. They don’t want to take on any extra injuries — and the 49ers have taken on what seems like 100 injuries this season — and just want the game to end.
Shanahan didn’t want the game to end.
49ers score in final seconds
The 49ers’ first possession after the Packers’ field goal indicated they were still trying to move the ball and finish the game with some positive feelings. They ran an empty formation with Mullens.
The 49ers never let up. They kept passing. Richie James scored on a 41-yard touchdown with about five minutes left. Uh oh. The Packers ran three times and punted. The 49ers needed a touchdown to ruin Thursday night for a few people. A sack by the Packers, which would have probably clinched the under, was nullified because of the defender initiated contact with Mullens using his helmet. Jerick McKinnon was tackled near the sideline and the clock kept running, and instead of letting time run, Shanahan called timeout with 39 seconds left even though his team had no chance to win. At that point, under bettors had to know what was coming.
Buck understood. The Fox play-by-play announcer made a joke about some people still being interested in what was going on, a reference to the over/under that was in the balance. NBC’s Al Michaels often makes similar cracks about people sweating bets late in games.
The 49ers got to the 1-yard line and McKinnon punched in a touchdown with 4 seconds to go.
“You mentioned Al Michaels a bit earlier. Now I feel like Al Michaels,” Buck said, regarding his sly comments about the over/under.
“I thought you handled that very well,” Aikman said after a long laugh.
It’s nice those two could have some fun about it. Plenty of bettors weren’t in the mood for a laugh.
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