Rams’ Meaningless FG as Time Expired Was Such a Baffling Bad Beat for Bettors

The Rams kicked a meaningless late field goal to cover the spread against the 49ers.

The Rams didn’t pull off the upset win against the rival 49ers on Sunday, but they did manage to pull a fast one on much of the sports betting community.

Los Angeles was 7.5-point underdogs heading into the Week 2 clash against San Francisco. The Niners, who were leading by 10 with just a few seconds left in regulation, looked destined to cover, until the Rams perplexingly decided to kick an effectively meaningless field goal as time expired.

With four seconds left in the game, Brett Maher nailed a 38-yard field goal, bringing L.A. within seven points as the game clock ran out. In doing so, they covered the +7.5 spread, equating to an agonizingly bad beat for some NFL bettors.

The 49ers were favored by 7.5 points and led 30-20 with 4 seconds left before the Rams decided to kick a field goal as time expired to lose by 7 points, 30-23. pic.twitter.com/w28xW28yO8

— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) September 17, 2023

Those who put their money on the Niners will be sorely disappointed with Sean McVay’s baffling decision to send his kicker back out there for the meaningless three point swing. As for those who sided with the Rams, they’ll have been pleasantly surprised by the favorable outcome.

San Francisco still managed to improve to 2-0 on the season, but those who bet on them to cover the spread at -7.5 won’t be too keen with how things how played out in the game’s waning moments.