NFL Wild Card Weekend provided plenty of excitement and betting surprises. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
Anyone who thought a wild year of NFL betting would come to a halt in the Wild Card Round had something else to come to.
Amid the shock of the Houston Texans — who have a rookie head coach, a rookie offensive coordinator, and a rookie quarterback — the annihilation of the Cleveland Browns and the Dallas Cowboys losing their unbeaten streak in historic fashion to the Green Bay Packers were some of the major betting upsets.
$7,505 on a $5 two-way bet
One of the craziest wins of the weekend at a major sportsbook was a DraftKings bettor winning $7,505 on a $5 two-way bet.
The punt included both Packers running back Aaron Jones and Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson scoring more than 3 touchdowns in the same game, a feat they have only accomplished three times in their entire careers (and not since September 2020).
Jones finished the game with 118 yards and three TDs on the ground on 21 carries, while Ferguson caught 10 balls for 93 yards and three scores. Ferguson scored twice in the final six minutes of the fourth quarter, cementing the Tickets as winners after scoring on a 14-yard pass with 3:25 remaining.
While Jones and the Packers enjoyed the spoils of Sunday’s win over Dallas, wide receiver Jayden Reed dropped a giant goose egg.
The 23-year-old caught 64 passes for 793 yards and eight TDs during the regular season, but was unable to come down with three scores on Sunday.
Reid posted on X (formerly Twitter) after the game and jokingly apologized for ruining his fan bonuses but also shared his excitement for advancing in the playoffs.
Green Bay became the first seven seed to win a game in the newly expanded NFL Wild Card and Champion Pot format. The Packers were around +285 on the moneyline going into the game, but they showed no mercy to a Dallas team that was 8-0 at home with an average scoring margin of +21.5.
Meanwhile, the Texans’ Super Bowl odds shrank from +6000 to +1700 on DraftKings after their upset win over the Browns.
