Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey had a rare miss in the second half of Thursday night’s game against the New York Giants, and some people are convinced it was no accident. The Cowboys were leading the Giants by five with 30 seconds left in their eventual 20-15 win at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Aubrey attempted a 51-yard field goal on 4th-and-8 that would have put Dallas up 23-15, but he missed it wide right.
Aubrey has been practically automatic in his first two seasons with the Cowboys. In fact, the miss on Thursday was his first ever from 50 or more yards in 17 attempts. While Dallas still held on to win, they were a 5.5-point gambling favorite over the Giants. That means they would have covered the spread if Aubrey converted the kick. Instead, anyone who bet on New York at +5.5 cashed.
One internet gambling personality broke down the implications and joked that “there should be protests around the country.” An overwhelming amount of both the bets and money were on the Cowboys to cover the 5.5-point spread. That means sportsbooks in Las Vegas and elsewhere made huge profits thanks to Aubrey, as the Giants covered. There were more than a few people who thought it was no coincidence.
“Aubrey went 36/38 as a rookie with the Cowboys last season. The former Notre Dame star even has a special nickname for how smooth his kicks look,” said one fan.
Missed kick shakes up betting landscape
The late miss against New York was his first of the season, as he was a perfect 12/12 before that and 6/6 from 50-plus yards. Was Aubrey working with bookmakers when he pushed the field goal wide right? Almost certainly not, but you can understand why many gamblers were irate over the bad beat.
It’s understandable that people are questioning what happened, especially given Aubrey’s track record. The fact that he missed his first kick from over 50 yards in 17 attempts is definitely raising some eyebrows. As one fan put it, “It’s just too much of a coincidence for some people to ignore.”
Aubrey has been a standout player for the Cowboys, so it’s surprising to see him miss such an important kick. However, it’s important to remember that athletes are human and can make mistakes. As another fan pointed out, “Even the best players have off days.”
In the end, we may never know for sure what happened with that missed kick, but it’s clear that it had a big impact on the outcome of the game and left a lot of fans and bettors scratching their heads.
