A dropped pass at the goal line might’ve been the deciding factor in one of the largest bets ever placed on an NFL regular-season game.
A Kentucky bettor reportedly wagered $3.1 million at Circa Sports to win $442,800 on the Philadelphia Eagles to beat the Carolina Panthers outright in Week 14 on Sunday.
The moneyline bet at odds of -700 came down to Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette failing to haul in a touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter that very well could’ve secured the upset win for Carolina.
Instead, the Eagles held on and the Kentucky bettor cashed a huge payday, but it didn’t come without a major sweat.
The drop
The Panthers hung around all game with one of the best teams in the NFC and led 16-14 in the fourth quarter.
They got the ball down six with just under three minutes to play. Backed up at their own 2-yard line, Carolina quarterback Bryce Young navigated the Panthers to the Philadelphia 32, hitting a 31-yard pass play and converting a fourth-and-7 along the way.
Facing a second-and-4 with 52 seconds left, Young threw a pass across the middle of the field to Legette, who got behind the Eagles’ defense.
He made a diving attempt to haul in the pass inside the 5-yard line but the ball came out of his grasp and hit the ground as he fell to the turf for an incompletion. Had he caught it, Legette would’ve easily rolled into the end zone for the go-ahead score and left the Eagles about 45 seconds to play and needing a field goal.
Instead, the Panthers turned the ball over on downs two plays later and the Eagles took a knee to run out the clock and secure a meaningful 22-16 victory for the Kentucky bettor.
Leggete not welcome on any of the Circa properties fwiw #86’ed
— Jeffrey Benson (@JeffreyBenson12) December 8, 2024
The bet
An initial wager of $1 million was placed before asking for a higher amount and settling on the $3.1 million, according to ESPN’s David Payne Purdum. It’s the largest bet Circa has ever taken, and the sports betting operator increased its odds on the Eagles to entice more Carolina wagers.
Even with the win, the Eagles, one of the most-bet teams at ESPN BET, failed to cover the 13.5-point spread. BetMGM reported that 75% of the spread handle was on the Eagles and just 23% of the moneyline handle was on the Panthers.
Circa Sports owner Derek Stevens told ESPN after the game that there was enough buyback on the Panthers that it “ended up playing out OK” for the house.
$3.1 million bet survives late drama.
— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) December 9, 2024
"We got a lot of buyback on Carolina, but what was crazy, we had a lot of people pile onto the Eagles. At kickoff, Circa Sports needs Carolina for a little bit. Ended up playing out OK." -- @DerekJStevens of @CircaSports…
