It’s another week where the Worst Bad Beat selection was made for me as it was the only one that happened during Sunday’s NFL action. That’s not to say there weren’t some bad beatings this week. There were some downright curb stomps as the the Pittsburgh Steelers opened the weekend with a 52-21 drubbing of the Carolina Panthers.
Sunday, the New Orleans Saints would not be outdone and brought out Lucille to swing on the Cincinnati Bengals to the tune of a 51-14 shellacking. But that’s not what this article is about. It’s about losing money in the hardest, most gut-wrenching way possible and only one game qualifies for that. So, without further ado…
Indianapolis Colts 29, Jacksonville Jaguars 26
Spread: Colts -2.5
If you only watched the first half of this game, you might be shocked to see it here. Indianapolis charged out to a 29-16 lead at halftime and seemed to be in complete control. Not only because Andrew Luck looked like Andrew Luck, but you had to add in the fact that Blake Bortles was under center on the other side. Comebacks aren’t exactly his thing.
Related: NFL Betting Guide | Opening Odds
While a 13-point lead is hardly insurmountable, the Colts were firing on all cylinders and the Jaguars weren’t exactly earning any comparison to their automobile namesake. The vaunted Jacksonville defense was once again getting picked apart, but in the second half, the script flipped.
Andrew Luck has attempted 154 consecutive passes without being sacked. It’s the longest such streak of his career.
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) November 11, 2018
The Jags grabbed some artificial turf and Indy did not score another point in the game. On top of that, Bortles and the Jaguars’ offense slowly began to claw their way back into it. On their first possession of the third quarter, Bortles and running back Leonard Fournette, back from injury, worked their team right down the field, using a fake field goal to keep the ball moving on a fourth-and-four.
Finally, at the one, Bortles tossed a touchdown pass to Fournette and suddenly things were interesting.
When Blake Bortles carves your defense pic.twitter.com/PGkWaEratL
— McNutty (@YAMANSDOOD) November 11, 2018
Still, the Jags are going to Jag and they missed a 52-yard field goal on their next possession. They got another chance after linebacker Telvin Smith picked off Luck, but once again couldn’t put any points on the board. Finally, with 4:03 left in the game, Josh Lambo hit a 55-yard field goal to put Jacksonville within three. The Colts were still covering, but they were sweating.
And they should have been, because Luck drove them into field goal range for some insurance, but future Hall of Famer Adam Vinatieri missed a 52-yarder. The Jaguars would start on their own 42, down by three, with 2:53 on the clock. If you’d bet on Jacksonville to upset the Colts, then you were suddenly simultaneously excited at the prospect of at least tying the game and dreading the prospect of watching Bortles toss a killer pick or suffer a sack-fumble that wrapped it up in a nice little bow.
Two minutes left. Down by a field goal. This should be a breeze for Blake Bortles, who has done this many times bef-
*taps earpiece*
I regret to inform you, I have some terrible news.
— Big Cat Country (@BigCatCountry) November 11, 2018
Only neither of those happened. Bortles completed consecutive passes to get Jacksonville on the Colts’ end of the field. Three plays later, on a third-and-one, head coach Doug Marrone once again put the game in Bortles’ hands and the sad sack quarterback delivered, tossing a perfect strike to Rashad Greene that gained 10 yards.
Not only did the Jaguars have a solid chance at a field goal on the table, but with over a minute left on the clock, a touchdown and walk-off win was there too. Bortles was dealing on the drive. He’s not the guy that lost it for you. Instead it was a deep bench wide receiver who had only caught two passes in all of 2018 and fumbled one of them. This one.
Rashad Greene now has 6 fumbles in 20 NFL games. Again shouldn’t be on this team. It’s a shame that Dave Caldwell has surrounded Blake Bortles with trash receivers
— Rob Petsch (@Robpetsch) November 11, 2018
