2024 NFL Bad Beats: Giants cover after Brandon Aubrey misses late FG

Every week in the NFL, bettors, sportsbooks or both bemoan some form of a bad beat. 

Whether it’s a spread pick, a moneyline bet, or a wager on the total points scored — there’s always one occurrence that affects a few bets.

In the Thursday Night Football game between the Giants and the Cowboys, it was the Cowboys spread (-5.5) that caused bettors some pain. 

Let’s check out how it all went down. 

Brandon Aubrey misses first-ever 50-yard field goal

Bettors who wagered on the Cowboys to cover a 5.5-point spread saw victory flash before their eyes.

With 2: 28 to go in the fourth quarter, and the Cowboys leading 20-15, Dallas was looking to close things out against New York on the road.

Mike McCarthy’s squad ran the ball three plays in a row to drain as much clock as possible, with the drive resulting in a fourth down with 32 seconds left to go.

Brandon Aubrey, who was 12-for-12 on field goals this season and 48-for-50 in his career, trotted onto the field to kick what everyone expected to be an automatic make. 

For context, Aubrey had nailed a 60-yard field goal earlier in the third quarter, and just last week made a 65-yard kick to set the record for the second-longest field goal in NFL history.

What’s even more incredible about his 60-yarder on Thursday is that it moved him to 16-for-16 on field goals of 50-plus yards for his career, extending his record for the longest such streak to start a career by any kicker in NFL history.

So what’s a 51-yard attempt to him, especially with the game basically over?

Apparently, it was a lot.

Aubrey missed the FG, snapping his streak of 50-plus-yard makes, and more importantly, bettors who took the Cowboys to cover the 5.5-point spread lost. 

The field goal would have also won for bettors who wagered on the spread when it was six points.

Daniel Jones would go on to throw an interception in a last-ditch effort to win the game, and the final score would remain 20-15. 

With three career 60-yard field goals, Aubrey needs just one more to tie the NFL record set by Brett Maher. He is now tied with Greg Zuerlein, Matt Prater and Maher as the only kickers in NFL history with three or more field goals of 60-plus yards.

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