NFL Players Want To Win, Not Cover

We’ve all been there, having backed a big favorite at one point or another, needing a late score to get over the hump and cover the spread. But the team you’ve backed doesn’t seem interested in getting into the end zone. They just want to run the clock out and secure a win. And as important as bettors make the spread in their minds, they should never forget that the players on the field and their coaches only care about winning their games straight up.

One of the most interesting reminders of this game in week eight of the 2018 NFL season, when the Los Angeles Rams took on the Green Bay Packers. It was a great game throughout, with the Rams getting just enough done to take a two-point lead late in the fourth quarter. And thanks to a mistake on a kickoff by Packers wide receiver-running back combination Ty Montgomery, the Rams had the ball back deep in Packers territory with just a couple of minutes to go.

Being a dynamic power running team, the Rams gave the ball to their workhorse running back Todd Gurley. And, as he’s done so many times in his career, Gurley broke free with a chance to get into the end zone, seal the victory for the Rams, and seal an unlikely push – or potential cover depending on what line you got – for Rams backers. There was only one problem. Gurley didn’t go into the end zone to score that important touchdown.

Instead, Gurley slowed down and made sure that he was taken down by a Green Bay defender in bounds and short of the goal line. That gave the Rams a first down right in front of the Packers goal line, where they were able to take a knee and run the clock out. This was great for the Rams, but was catastrophic for bettors who laid the points with Los Angeles.

After the game, Gurley acknowledged the situation on social media, confirming that he doesn’t care what the spread was or how much money you have on the game, and that his job is to win football games with his team. And while that wasn’t the best thing to read, as Gurley’s decision even cost our team a correct prediction of the game, you can certainly understand why he’d feel that way.

Football is a dangerous sport where players are giving their bodies to a sport they’ve worked their whole lives to master. And to make it to the NFL and have a chance to win the Super Bowl is something that most people can only dream of. So after all of that hard work and all of those incredible accomplishments, why would a player care whether or not people they’ve never met covered a spread?

The lesson in all of this isn’t about which sides you should or shouldn’t be betting. After all, plenty of big favorites play well in the NFL. But just remember that when it comes to covering the spread, the players are trying to win and stay healthy, and those are the only bases they care about covering.