NFL Bad Beats, Week 16: Browns, Patriots Blow Covers as Double-Digit Favorites

It wouldn't be an NFL Sunday without a few bad beats. We’re compiling some of the worst ones from the Week 16 slate here.

Got a bad beat we haven’t seen? Let us know on Twitter @ActionNetworkHQ.

New England Patriots Spread

• The Line: Patriots -13.5
• The Score: 24-6 Patriots
• Time Left: 1:08 in 4Q

After doing absolutely nothing on offense the entire game, Buffalo managed to cover in very back door Bills' style.

Once the Pats went up 24-6, Tom Brady hit the sidelines and Brian Hoyer entered the game. Two Hoyer-led drives resulted in nothing, including a failed fourth down conversion on Buffalo’s 29 that could have resulted in a field goal.

Turns out Pats bettors needed those three points.

With a little more than a minute remaining, Josh Allen found a wide open Zay Jones for a 31-yard score. The Bills wound up missing the extra point, but still cut the score to 24-12 on the touchdown.

This might have been the most one-sided game I've ever seen in which a team failed to cover.

Bengals-Browns Spread, Over

• The line: Browns -10, 44 over/under
• The Score: 23-0 Browns
• Time Left: Start of 4Q

The Browns as double-digital favorites for just the second time since 1999 … what could go wrong?

Cleveland won quite easily, but blew the game for spread bettors who had faith to lay all those points.

Up 23-0 heading into the fourth quarter, the Browns allowed 18 points to Jeff Driskel and the Bengals to let them back into the game. Bengals bettors began to rise from their coffins in an Undertaker-esque manner.

But wait! Right before the two-minute warning, Baker Mayfield connected with David Njoku on a 66-yard bomb that brought the Browns to the Bengals' 3-yard-line. With the score 26-18, a simple field goal would get Cleveland the cover. Or the Browns could kneel three times and end the game … which is what happened.

And oh yeah. The over/under ranged between 44 and 45.5, so anyone with the over was also cursing at their TV when they saw Mayfield go into victory formation.

Vikings-Lions First-Half Spread, Under

• The line: Lions +3.5, 22.5 over/under
• The Score: 9-7 Lions
• Time Left: 0:45 in 2Q

A double whammy in Detroit struck at the buzzer!

Minnesota, which had struggled mightily up until that point, was nearly at the 50-yard line with just two seconds left on the clock. Up 9-7, Lions (+3.5) first-half bettors were walking up to the window when tragedy struck. Not exactly a tragedy, but you know what I mean.

Kirk Cousins connected with Kyle Rudolph for a 44-yard touchdown and Dan Bailey kicked the extra points to give Minnesota a 14-9 lead at the half. You like that!?

RIP Detroit first-half spread and first-half under bettors.

Cowboys First-Half Spread 

• The Line: Cowboys -4.5
• The Score: 17-6 Cowboys
• Time Left: 1:43 in 2Q

Cowboys first-half backers were feeling prettay, prettay, prettay good after Brett Maher booted a 59-yard field goal with 1:48 left in the second quarter to five Dallas a 17-6 lead and Dallas 1H -4.5 a solid cushion.

However, Tampa Bay marched right on down the field to score a touchdown with just 20 seconds remaining in the half. At that point, Dallas bettors were praying Tampa Bay would go for two to cut the lead to 17-14 in hopes of a failed conversion. But that wasn't in the cards.

The Buccaneers opted to kick the extra point and cover the first-half.

Falcons-Panthers First-Half Over

• The Line: 22.5
• The Score: 10-10 tie
• Time Left: 0:56 in 2Q

With Carolina on Atlanta's 4-yard line with 56 seconds remaining, first-half over bettors just needed a field goal to cash.

Enter Taylor Heinicke.

He had to make a blunder at some point, right? Turns out Heinicke did the last thing first-half over bettors wanted to see by tossing an interception to keep the score tied at 10 — at least throw a pick-six if you're going to throw a pick.

The Falcons went three and out on the following drive while the Panthers couldn't muster anything in the final 30 seconds.