Last night, the Chiefs and Jets played in a back and forth slugfest that no one saw coming. Zach Wilson outplayed superstar Patrick Mahomes, and the Chiefs had just a 3 point lead at the 2 minute warning. On 3rd and long, Mahomes scrambled and was able to pick up the 1st down inside the 5 yard line, and he slid down in bounds when he could’ve waltzed into the endzone. The Chiefs kneeled on the ball, and the game was over.
The spread coming into the game was in the 7.5/9.5 range, in favor of the Chiefs. So of course, Chiefs bettors were in agony and Jets bettors ecstatic when Mahomes slid down to essentially end the game. This was the correct thing to do by Mahomes. Last year, the Jets beat the Browns after running back Nick Chubb ran into the endzone with roughly 2 minutes left in the game. If Chubb would’ve went down, the Browns would’ve taken a couple of kneeldowns and would’ve won the game. Sports betting is a game of inches, or in this case, yards.
We know sports betting can be emotional, filled with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Of course, the Jets still could’ve went down the field and even kicked a field goal, down 2 possessions, and still covered the spread.
As bettors, it can be easy to forget that players just want to win, and they do whatever it takes to win. Taking the emotion out of betting is arguably the hardest aspect of the job. However, tough losses and thrilling wins will come and go. Sometimes the breaks go your way and sometimes they don’t.
The sooner you grasp that, the better your sports betting experiences will be.