Sports gambling column: Week 19

J.T. Sparks, Editor-in-Chief|January 21, 2019

They did it again. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady have once again made the Super Bowl in a close game. As I predicted, it was high-scoring and Belichick was able to take things away, with the Chiefs’ top two receivers (receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce) combining for only 65 yards. Those two and the rest of the Chiefs offense was neutralized in the first half as the Patriots jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but quarterback Patrick Mahomes led the comeback and was able to take a 21-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter. But Brady worked his classic magic, and the Patriots prevailed in overtime, making me $12 richer in the process.  

I don’t even want to talk about the NFC Championship. But I will. My Saints got screwed on the worst call in football history (I dare you to find a worse one) and all I could do was stare in disbelief as no flag came on the now-infamous play. Once Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw an interception in overtime, I knew it was over. Winning on the Patriots was nice, but I’d gladly give Bovada the $12 back if it meant the Saints were still alive in the playoffs. That was a horrible call, but the fact of the matter is that the Saints failing to score touchdowns at the beginning of the game and Brees’ interception also caused the Saints to lose. Back-to-back heartbreaking playoff losses to end the past two seasons have made me extremely wary as a Saints fan. I really thought the Saints were the best team in the league all year, and even though I never said this (I was afraid that I’d jinx the team), I was somewhat confident that Brees and the rest of the team would win the Super Bowl. It didn’t happen. But that’s sports, and hopefully, the Saints will have a similar opportunity next year. This was a fun season, and I’ll never forget it.

I’ll give Super Bowl bets next week, including a few props. Since there aren’t any NBA futures that interest me yet, I’ll have to stay down until then.

 

Money spent to date: $160

Winnings to date: $111.59