Kansas City Chiefs punter Matt Araiza deliberately tiptoed out of the top zone Saturday to give up a security, which added meaningless factors to the scoreboard however shook the playing world.
Araiza’s finish zone give up — which put the ending touches on Kansas City’s 23-14 playoff victory over the Houston Texans — settled wagers from Las Vegas to our on-line world in a play gamblers call a “backdoor cover.”
Gamblers who smelled a doable upset may’ve guess on underdog Houston and gained 9.5 factors on Saturday, within the closing level unfold that had began at Kansas City -8. But as early week Las Vegas cash went on Kansas City, the road shifted and compelled late Chiefs backers to have to surrender 9.5 points by Saturday.
So in different phrases, betting on Houston could be a profitable funding so long as the Texans received the sport outright or misplaced by not more than 9 factors. And conversely, Ok.C. bettors wanted the Chiefs to win by 10 or extra.
The spread-deciding play was an uncommon one to make certain, as Kansas City, main 23-12, confronted fourth-and-15 from their very own 18 yard-line with 15 seconds left. Chiefs coach Andy Reid may have simply punted the ball with nearly no likelihood of Houston scoring twice in closing seconds, probably with assist from a blocked kick.
But to utterly lock the sport away, Reid elected to have Araiza dash towards his personal objective, dance on the sting of the top zone to kill valuable seconds after which step out of bounds with 9 seconds to play.
Those two factors meant all the pieces to gamblers who acquired or gave 9.5 factors as the ultimate margin shrank from 11 to 9. The ESPN crew calling the sport instantly took word of what these factors meant.
“And there are lots of people who’re listening to that,” play-by-play man Joe Buck stated. “That makes it a 9-point recreation.”
Buck and analyst Troy Aikman took word of how longtime NFL broadcaster Al Michaels would delicately interject playing points in calls, in a earlier period when sports activities wagering wasn’t as open as it is now.
“Al Michaels is smiling proper now, “Aikman chuckled.
“Al Michaels is giddy,” Buck added. “Wow.”
