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This is the miracle of all miracle parlays: You won't believe how one bettor covered this nine-team $200 parlay
(Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
It seemed like Sunday brought an inordinate amount of unbelievable endings to NFL games also affecting the outcome of sports bets. That is most especially the case for one gambler who might be the most lucky person of the weekend.
This gambler, as reported by the Las Vegas Review Journal, wagered $200 on a nine-team parlay, and it included two of the most improbable covers of the season—the Falcons/49ers over 47 1/2 and Eagles -6.5.
First, the Eagles. Philly trailed with 27 seconds left until it cashed in on a scoring drive to take the lead, 31-27. Then in a last-ditch effort to score, the Redskins' Dwayne Haskins coughed up the ball, leading to a last-second Eagles defensive return. Two touchdowns in 27 seconds, leading to an Eagles cover.
(Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Then came the ending of the Falcons/49ers game, which was probably even more improbable. With two seconds left on the clock, Julio Jones scored a go-ahead touchdown against one of the best defenses in the league. On the kickoff as time-expired, the 49ers botched a shovel pass, leading to a second TD in the matter of two seconds. Meaningless, unless you had the over/under, which went over with the 29-22 result.
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
This bettor, who wasn't identified by the LVRJ, cashed his $200 ticket for a $75,000 payday. The other legs of the parlay were: (Chiefs -9½, 23-3 win over Broncos); Texans (+2½, 24-21 over Titans); Patriots (-9½, 34-13 over Bengals); Vikings (-2½, 39-10 over Chargers) and Over 44½; Falcons (+10½, 29-22 over 49ers); and Seahawks-Panthers Over 48½ (Seattle, 30-24). As the report outlined, Carolina scored twice in the last five minutes of the game, which pushed the total over.
Those two miracle covers also resulted in millions of dollars changing hands at the cost of unlucky bettors. We'd love to see the calculations of what this guy's probability was of hitting his bet with a minute left in each game. According to Action Network's cover probability graph, the Eagles had a 6-percent chance to cover after the touchdown. And the Falcons/49ers under was even less likely to hit. The vagaries of sports betting are not meant for the faint of heart.