- The Philadelphia Eagles hosted the Green Bay Packers in the NFC wild-card round on Sunday, and beat the Packers 22-10.
- Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley broke through the defense and could have scored a touchdown, but he slid instead to run out the clock.
- A Barkley Anytime touchdown was the most popular bet at online sportsbooks on Sunday, leaving many bettors distressed.
The NFL playoffs are underway, which means NFL playoff betting has started. In the second of three games on Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles advanced with a 22-10 win over the Green Bay Packers.
But in betting news, Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley dismissed a chance to score a late touchdown. That hurt more than a few bettors at the sportsbooks.
Barkley Anytime TD was the Most Popular Wager of the Day
The play happened with just over a minute left in the game, and after Barkley took a handoff from quarterback Jalen Hurts, he bounced to his left and hit the hole hard. There was nothing between Barkley and the end zone. However, Barkley simply slid, earning the first down and effectively ending the game for the Eagles.
ESPN reported that a Barkley Anytime TD was the most popular bet of the day at NFL betting sites. It was also reported that a Barkley Anytime TD was the third-most popular leg in NFL parlay bets. Given his season, it’s not surprising that Barkley got plenty of attention at online sportsbooks. He finished the season with 2,005 yards, coming up just short of Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards. The seven-year veteran, who spent his first six seasons with the New York Giants, also had a career-high 13 touchdowns, and was a viable candidate in the NFL MVP odds this season.
Barkley stated after the game:
“It wasn’t tempting. Situational football. A first down (and) you win the game? Get the first down and sit down.
They (his teammates) told me I should’ve taken a little bit more, but at the end of the day, the most important thing in the playoffs is winning and advancing.
The most important thing is winning games. The stat line don’t matter. The only stat that matters is getting Ws.”
Will Saquon Barkley Do This Again?
That quote sums up Barkley’s season and mentality in a nutshell. He had an excellent chance to break Dickerson’s record, and to top it off, it would have come against his former team, the Giants. However, Barkley put the team ahead of his stats, and sat out the meaningless regular-season finale. So, if he wasn’t concerned about that, Barkley surely doesn’t care about being one of the best NFL bets on the board.
The Eagles move on to the divisional round, where they’ll take on the winner of Minnesota/LA Rams, which takes place on Monday night. Philadelphia should be the favorites at home, regardless of which team goes through. They’ll also be a popular option at NFL playoff pick ‘em contests. If Barkley is in the same situation, bettors should beware because there’s a good chance this will happen again.
