NFL odds Week 12: Late touchdown by Giants caused bad beat for Cowboys bettors

One of the most beautiful things about betting on the NFL (or any sport) is that every single play matters — a lesson that was reinforced Thursday in the Giants–Cowboys game.

Richie James‘ one-yard touchdown pass reception from Daniel Jones with eight seconds left had huge ramifications for gamblers. That’s because the point spread closed at Cowboys -10 at FOX Bet. For those who might be new to betting, that means that Cowboys backers wagered on Dallas to win by more than 10 points.

Let’s dive into how a missed field goal, a penalty and a meaningless Giants late touchdown crushed Cowboys bettors on Thanksgiving.

Everything was coming up aces for Cowboys bettors, as it looked like they would enjoy some pumpkin pie and a couple of extra bucks in their wallets. But then it happened.

Dallas was on pace to cover that spread late in the fourth quarter when it had the ball and led 28-13. The Cowboys failed to get the first down, and then their kicker Brett Maher missed a field goal. Every gambler knew what was coming next.

New York started moving the ball against a soft Dallas defense. To make matters worse, Micah Parsons was flagged for unnecessary roughness. After another penalty, the Giants got the ball on the one-yard line, and the rest was history, as James went on to score.

After the extra point, the final score ended Cowboys 28, Giants 20, which helped New York +10 bettors cash their tickets.

To paraphrase famed broadcaster Al Michaels, “those plays are significant to some.”

What’s the best thing that you can do if you were one of those bettors who took a bad beat on Thanksgiving? Shake it off, and hope you get the break on your next wager.