NFL Week 14 Big Bets Recap: $3.1 million wager on Eagles barely cashes

There’s nothing quite like sweating out a bet and getting a win. But for most of us, that involves $20 or $50, or perhaps $100 on a wager.

Not $3.1 million. 

And not on the moneyline for a team that’s nearly a two-touchdown favorite.

Yet a Circa Sports customer did just that and got out with a massive win that was nearly a wallet-busting loss.

More on that major wager, along with notable parlays, unique wins and other big bets — winners and losers, alike — as we recap NFL Week 14 and college football Week 15 betting.

Big Bet Sweat

On Thursday afternoon, a high-roller ponied up $3.1 million on the Philadelphia Eagles moneyline -700 vs. the Carolina Panthers. All the Eagles had to do was beat big underdog Carolina.

Yet it almost didn’t happen. 

Philly, on its home field and riding an eight-game win streak, barely held on for a 22-16 victory. So the bettor got a healthy $442,857 win, for a total payout of $3,542,847.

That’s a sizable loss for Circa Sports, but Derek Stevens — who oversees the sportsbook in his role as owner of Circa Las Vegas Resort — would likely encourage his staff to do it again.

“That’s our business model. We take big bets,” Stevens said, while noting Circa’s risk room incentivized enough Carolina moneyline action — via better-than-usual odds on the underdog — to absorb some of the blow.

“We’ll book a small loser. But we’ll keep the doors open,” he said.

Philly actually trailed at multiple junctures and entered the fourth quarter down 16-14, but took a 22-16 lead early in the fourth.

Late in the fourth quarter, the Panthers had one last gasp for an upset, and nearly breathed it to life. With under a minute remaining, Bryce Young hit Xavier Legette with what appeared to be a 32-yard touchdown pass. That and the extra point could’ve given Carolina 23-22 lead and perhaps a shocking upset.

But the pass was ruled incomplete, and the Panthers never got any closer, ultimately turning it over on downs and losing 22-16. 

That’s about as sweaty as it can get for that kind of cash. 

Parlay Partay

Stringing together anytime touchdown scorers on a parlay is becoming a popular way to turn a little into a lot. That was again the case in NFL Week 14 odds.

A bettor at FanDuel Sportsbook put $25 on this four-leg anytime TD parlay:

• Bucs running back Rachaad White +135
• Browns tight end David Njoku +290
• Eagles wideout DeVonta Smith +195
• Saints tight end Juwan Johnson +400

Add it all up, and you’ve got odds of +13418, or about 134/1. All four players found the end zone, turning 25 bucks into $3,379.59.

In Week 15 college football odds, a DraftKings Sportsbook customer put together a six-team moneyline parlay, with five of the plays on underdogs.

Oregon, which held off Penn State 45-37, was the only favorite. Georgia, Arizona State, Clemson, Ohio and Marshall were all ‘dogs, and they all won.

The odds were +9191 (about 92/1), but the bettor used a DK odds boost to up that price to +11949 (almost 120/1). That turned a $25 bet into $2,987 in profit.

Also at DraftKings, in the Packers-Lions game, a customer put $14.19 on a two-leg parlay of Green Bay running back Josh Jacobs scoring two or more TDs and Detroit wideout Tim Patrick scoring two or more touchdowns.

Jacobs ended up with three touchdowns, and Patrick scored twice. At odds of +14000 (140/1), the bettor profited $1,986.60.

Here’s Hoping You Had It

It’s not all about cashing out wild parlays for thousands or tens of thousands of dollars. When you multiply any wager by 25 or 50, or in this case 60, that’s gonna nicely fatten the wallet.

A FanDuel Sportsbook customer took a $5 flier on the aforementioned Patrick scoring two or more touchdowns for Detroit against Green Bay. Patrick delivered with a TD late in the third quarter and another early in the fourth.

At +6000 odds (60/1), that five bucks turned into $300 profit.

Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier was +2700 at Caesars Sports to score the first TD of the game against the Minnesota Vikings. But he got there. A $10 flier on Allgeier would’ve paid out $270 profit.

I Like Big Bets And I Cannot Lie

There must’ve been something in the water last week, because that $3.1 million Eagles moneyline bet wasn’t the only seven-figure play. A Caesars Sports customer plunked down $1.5 million on Texas +390 to win the National Championship.

That was before the Longhorns lost the SEC title game to Georgia 22-19. But the ticket lives on, since Texas is still in the College Football Playoff and can therefore still win the national title.

If actor Matthew McConaughey’s favorite team goes the distance, then that bettor will profit a hefty $5,850,000, for a total payout of $7,350,000.

Caesars also took a $500,000 wager on Texas moneyline -135 vs. Georgia in that SEC final. That ended up being a big donation to the house and perhaps even from the same bettor. The $1.5 million bet and the $500,000 bet both came from a Louisiana customer.

At South Point sportsbook, a customer wagered $222,352.95 (yes, even the 95 cents) on Vikings moneyline -280 vs. the Falcons. Minnesota rolled 42-21, and the bettor profited $79,411.75 (total payout $301,764.70).

Caesars took a bevy of other big bets, as well. Among the more notable major wagers:

• $175,000 Packers moneyline +158 vs. Lions. Green Bay gave Detroit all it could handle, but lost 34-31 on a final-seconds field goal.
• $115,000 Buccaneers -6.5 (-115) vs. Raiders. Tampa won 28-13, and the bettor profitted $100,000 (total payout $215,000).
• $110,000 Eagles -12.5 vs. Panthers. Much like that $3.1 million bet, though not nearly as damaging, this wager didn’t get there. Eagles won 22-16 but didn’t cover.

We’ll wrap it up by showing how important it is to get the best number. 

From Thursday to Friday morning at Caesars, the Miami Dolphins were -5.5 vs. the New York Jets. Sometime in that window, a customer got down a $110,000 wager on Dolphins -5.5. By the time kickoff arrived Sunday, the Dolphins were up to -6.5.

As it turned out, the Dolphins pulled out a 32-26 overtime victory. So the bettor won $100,000 thanks to a timely pay. That same bet on Sunday morning would’ve been a loser.

Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He’s based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on Twitter: @PatrickE_Vegas.

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