This past Sunday, December 7, two AFC West rivals faced each other. The Denver Broncos and the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14. However, even though it was already expected that Sean Payton’s team would come out with the result, the game was much tighter than anticipated.
When the game was nearing its end, a play occurred that sparked outrage among fans, especially among those who had bet on the 7.5-point spread. The final score reflected a 24-17 outcome that was not as dominant for the team led on the field by Bo Nix.
However, speculation among bettors began to grow because, from their perspective, this game was fixed so that the sportsbooks would not lose money.
With the margin they had in their favor, the result was set for bettors to cash in, but in the final minutes, the Broncos had the ball at the 28-yard line with a fourth-and-four to go. And this is where things got strange. Surprisingly, they did not attempt a field goal that would have given them a final 13-point lead.
Instead, the Broncos ran the ball to try to convert the first down, but they gained nothing, leaving the Raiders with 30 seconds on the clock to try to do something to make the scoreboard look more respectable.
Then came a pass from Kenny Pickett to Tyler Lockett for a significant gain, and immediately they ran another play. On the reception, a penalty was called, which stopped the clock when only about three seconds remained.
The penalty was against the Broncos for a delay of the game, which gave Las Vegas the chance to attempt a field goal that ended up being successful and, in doing so, ruined bettors who already considered themselves winners.
The furious reaction from fans after the ending of the Broncos vs. the Raiders game
With this sequence, many people lost their bets. And this quickly sparked controversy, with fans complaining bitterly about what had happened.
Was Broncos/Raiders a Rigged Game? Meaningless Field Goal to Rig the Cover for the Raiders!
Brutal for anyone on Denver -7.5 Raiders kick a meaningless FG for the backdoor cover. @NFL isn’t even hiding it,’
Another claimed.
The Raiders, the refs, & the entire NFL along with Vegas need to be in prison for that cover. This entire thing is a fucking joke.
Added a third.
Another fumed:
You don’t kick this unless you know and care about the spread number.. disgusting by Pete Carroll.. raiders clearly owned and influenced by casinos that needed that game to go a certain way.
And the Raiders kick a meaningless FG to cover the spread with :00 left. You cannot convince me Pete Carroll didn’t know the number,’
Posted another.
One of the most vocal critics was Barstool Sports owner Dave Portnoy, who didn’t hold anything back.
That’s the worst beat of all time. You have to investigate the Raiders. INVESTIGATE THE RAIDERS!,’…’What are they doing? What the f**? That’s the worst beat of all time. That is cheating! What the f***!’*
I gotta rewind this. That’s the worst fing beat of all time. This is the worst beat of all time. Pete Carroll should be in fing prison. Prison for Pete Carroll!
The refs, everybody. This is prison! THIS IS PRISON! There’s 16 seconds left in the game. By the way the play before this, there was f**ing 20 seconds they threw it… PRISON!’*
The spread’s eight-and-a-half. They spiked the ball, by the way. They ran up and spiked it as a temp- PRISON PETE CARROLL! MURDER PETE CARROLL! I WANT PETE CARROLL MURDERED!
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