Just between The Kansas City Chiefs improbable comeback and the Raiders converting a two point play to win the game my NFL redzone viewing became a life experience. You see I had placed an 11 team NFL accumulator and had given up on this hail mary of a bet just after the Chargers took a commanding 21 point lead over the Kansas City Chiefs. Then Keenan Allen got hurt for the Chargers and things started to get interesting.
Kansas got the game into overtime and scored a touchdown on their first possession to win soon after the Raiders drove down the field and scored a late touchdown to seemingly tie the game with the New Orleans Saints that’s of course before Jack Del Rio WITH LITTLE REGARD FOR MY ACCUMALTOR decided to try and win the game and go for two. At this stage I was yelling at my television screen in the same manner you would at your friend who is going to up to the bar to order his 5th Jagger bomb of the night. NO,NO you might want to think abut the consequences of what you’re about to do but, Del Rio much like that friend ignored my words of wisdom and decided to go for it.
Remarkably it paid off and in the euphoria and relief afterwards I decided to check my betting slip to discover that I was three teams away from winning the bet. All that needed to happen was the Giants to beat the Cowboys who were starting a rookie QB in Dak Prescott, The Lions to beat the Colts and the absolute cert of the day the Seahawks to defeat the Dolphins.
Over the course of the those 3 games I think I blacked out no less than 5 times and made about a 100 different deals with God, Buddha and whomever else out there that might listen to me and could help. The Seahawks struggled mightily early against the Dolphins and were so fortunate not to fall behind when Dolphins wide receiver, Kenny Stills who had nothing but, green grass between himself and the endzone dropped a pass, that was the 1st time I blacked out. Dak Prescott carried his impressive preseason form over into the regular season and looked very poised and confident against the Giants much to my chagrin but, couldn’t finish drives with touchdowns and the Lions had a 21 point lead.
Things were looking very good at that stage and then Russell Wilson got hurt and the Lions lost their 21 point lead. At this stage a I was frantically goggling “Who is the Seattle Seahawks backup QB” and “Why can’t I have nice things” Trevone Boykin was the answer to the first question and he very may well have been the answer to the second also if he had come into the game.
Wilson stayed out there and was as immobile as myself who by now was frozen to the sofa by the fear. Miami took the lead, the Colts tied the game and the Cowboys were driving for a game winning field goal.
The bet was up in smokes and I set about writing my funeral wishes because watching it all unfold had damn near killed me. I hoped that the Lions, Seattle and Giants would be my pallbearers so they could let me down one last time.
Momentum is a funny thing in sports, sometimes you can just feel it shift and when Terrance Williams of the Cowboys was tackled in bounds and the clock expired to deny the Cowboys a chance to win the game quickly followed by a Seattle victory it felt like the bet was back on.
The Lions drove down the field to take the lead, there was no way it was going to lose now and started to count my money only for Matt Prater the Lions kicker to miss the extra point and leave his team with less than a touchdown lead.
A missed field goal was going to cost me the bet, a kick Prater has made countless times in his career. I felt like a Buffalo Bills fan after Scott Norwood missed wide right.
Sure enough Andrew Luck lead his team to a touchdown with just under a minute left. The Lions had a chance but, it’s the hope that kills you and surely this story wouldn’t have one last dramatic twist.
Maybe God listened to one of those 100 deals I made with throughout the course of the action because what happened next was certainly helped by some divine intervention. Mathew Stafford parted the Colts defence like Moses and the red sea and suddenly with 4 ticks of the clock left the Lions and Matt Prater had a chance to win the game but, more importantly my bet.
People talk about the agony and ecstasy of sport and in the seemingly never ending stretch of time between Prater taking the field and the actual kick both feelings flooded my mind. Prater nailed the kick and the bet was won.
In the days afterwards when I would tell friends, family and yes even some strangers about it really hit me how unbelievably lucky it all was. For it to happen the following things all occurred:
- The Kansas City Chiefs come from 21 points down to win the game
- The Seattle Seahawks take a late lead, miss the extra point and hold out for a 2 point win over Miami who had the ball last.
- Terrance Williams of the Cowboys decided to stay in bounds and gets tackled causing time to run out before the Cowboys Field goal kicking team gets on the field
- The Raiders convert a two point play to beat the Saints in New Orleans.
- The Lions take the lead miss the extra point, allow the Colts to take the lead only for the Lions to win the game with 4 seconds left.
People are asking what bet will I do this week. To be honest second albums/Sequels are difficult and with a week of hard to call match ups I think I will take the following advice.
“You’ve got to know when to hold ’em
Know when to fold ’em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run”
Oh and Matt Prater if you are every in Ireland I owe you a drink.
