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Raiders Meaningless FG As Time Expires Results in Toughest Bad Beat of the Season

The Raiders pulled out a backdoor cover for the ages on Sunday.

Tyler Lauletta

Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby and Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton meet on the field.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby and Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton meet on the field. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Raiders didn’t do enough to win on Sunday against the Broncos, but on the very last play of the game, on a field goal that had no impact on the outcome of the game, they were able to secure an unbelievable backdoor cover.

Heading into the game, Las Vegas was listed as a 7.5-point home underdog, meaning Denver would have to win the game by eight points or more in order for Broncos bettors to cash.

When the Broncos kicked a field goal to go up 24–7 with less than four minutes to play, chances are bettors that backed Denver were already busy counting their winnings. But the gambling gods had other ideas.

The Raiders drove the field to score a touchdown with just over two minutes to play, cutting their deficit to 24–14. After a failed onside kick, the Broncos got possession back in Las Vegas territory, but would ultimately turn the ball over on downs with a minute left to play.

The Raiders, in need of two scores, tried to move fast. Backup quarterback Kenny Pickett connected with Tyler Lockett for a 26-yard gain with the final seconds ticking off the clock. It’s likely that the game would have ended before the Raiders had time to get to the line and spike the ball, but Broncos safety Brandon Jones was called for a delay of game penalty after laying on Lockett a bit too long.

The flag gave the Raiders five more yards, but much more importantly, stopped the clock. At this point, there were five seconds to play, and with Las Vegas trailing by 10, it was basically impossible for them to win. But they took the only path open—technically, if they kicked the field goal now and it made it through the uprights with a second left on the clock, they could return the ensuing onside kick for a touchdown. We are talking a million-to-one odds here, but that was the logic.

Of course, Raiders bettors didn’t need the onside kick, they just needed the field goal. And they got it.

The Raiders drilled the field goal, but there was no time left on the clock. Game over. Raiders still lose, but only by seven points. That’s a win for Las Vegas bettors. Online, Raiders bettors rejoiced and Broncos bettors lamented their awful luck.

It’s never over until it’s over.

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Tyler Lauletta
TYLER LAULETTA

Tyler Lauletta is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News Team/team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI, he covered sports for nearly a decade at Business Insider, and helped design and launch the OffBall newsletter. He is a graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia, and remains an Eagles and Phillies sicko. When not watching or blogging about sports, Tyler can be found scratching his dog behind the ears.

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