The final minutes of the divisional-round game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans featured no lead changes, but they were a whirlwind for bettors.
The Chiefs opened as 7.5-point favorites on BetMGM, but a flood of bets pushed them to 8.5 points as of Saturday morning and then, critically, to 9.5 points before the game began in Kansas City.
All of those later Chiefs bets were in trouble late in the game, when the Texans lined up for a 35-yard field-goal attempt that would have cut the Kansas City lead to eight points with less than two minutes remaining. However, Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal blocked the kick from Ka’imi Fairbairn to seal the game and deliver relief to his team’s bettors.
However, the game wasn’t over.
The Chiefs opted to kneel out the clock after a first-down run, but that left just a few seconds for the Texans to retake possession. With 11 seconds remaining on fourth down, Chiefs punter Matt Araiza took the ball and ran into the end zone to kill a little more time with an intentional safety… and crush the hopes of everyone who had the Chiefs by 9.5.
ESPN broadcasters Joe Buck and Troy Aikman knew exactly what had just happened.
The ESPN booth’s reaction:
Buck: “Araiza will head out of the back of the end zone for a safety and there are a lot of people who are paying attention to that. That makes it a nine-point game, world.”
Aikman: “Al Michaels is smiling right now.”
Buck: “Al Michaels is giddy. Wow”
Final score: 23-14 Chiefs. A win for the team, but not some of its backers. The Chiefs will advance to the AFC championship game, their seventh straight, and face the winner of Sunday’s game between the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills next weekend.