Opening XFL Weekend Brings Out The First Bad Beat

• The Seattle Dragons were 9.5-point underdogs against the D.C. Defenders in the league’s first game.
• Seattle had the spread covered for over three-quarters of the game.
• The spread and the point total was affected by a penalty after a successful field goal attempt.

WASHINGTON – In the first game of the first week of the XFL season, both sportsbooks and bettors were excited to get started betting on the new football season.

Two games were played on Saturday and two on Sunday, but it was the focus of the very first game that took the XFL betting world by storm.

In what was billed as the favorite to win the XFL (DC. Defenders, +350) versus the largest longshot to take the title (Seattle Dragons, +1100), the favorite did come out on top. However, the betting lines for the game weren’t as easy to swallow.

The Bad Beat Setup

The Dragons were listed as 9.5-point underdogs and the over-under of the opening XFL game was set at 51.5 points.

For those who took these two lines, all seemed well throughout the entire game. Scoring happened often and Seattle was holding their own in the first half. Going into the locker room before the second half began, the Dragons were leading, and the over-under was only one point away from half of the final projection.

The scoring unloaded in the third quarter, as the teams entered the fourth quarter with 44 combined points. Additionally, the Dragons were only down by a touchdown.

The fourth quarter is where the bad beat occurred, though. Going for it on fourth down, the Dragons fell victim to a 69-yard pick-six with 12:55 remaining in the game.

With a combined 50 points, D.C. missed the extra point keeping the game a few points shy of the over. Likewise, the Dragons were now no longer covering the spread – the first time in the game.

With over a dozen minutes left in the game, bettors who took the over were certain that their bet would hit.

The XFL Bad Beat Gets Even Worse

Ready to bring themselves back into a covering position, the Dragons took four minutes off of the clock en route to a fourth-down field goal. From the 19 yard line, the Dragons sunk an additional three points, giving bettors who took the over a sigh of relief for the game as well as those who had Seattle +9.5.

But, a penalty flag ended this celebration. As D.C. was called for running into the kicker, the Dragons took the points off of the board in attempts to score a touchdown.

All things looked solid, as the Dragons continued their drive. Even after a successful fourth down attempt, the Dragons had the ball on the three-yard line with just over five minutes left in the game.

On second and goal, the Dragons fumbled the ball in which the Defenders scooped the rock. Throughout the remainder of the game’s final three possessions and five minutes, no more points were scored.

The final? DC covered the 9.5 points they were given at online sports betting sites and bettors on the under got their wish as well. With the XFL betting season just getting started, this is not the bad beat bettors were looking for in the league’s opening weekend.

News tags: bad beat | DC Defenders | Seattle Dragons | XFL