The Chiefs could have covered the spread had Mahomes run into the end zone

Patrick Mahomes’ smart decision with less than two minutes to go cost Chiefs’ bettors on Sunday night.

Mahomes slid down between the end zone and the first down marker on a third down scramble to guarantee the Chiefs a 23-20 win over the New York Jets. But since Mahomes didn’t score, the Chiefs didn’t cover the spread. Kansas City spent much of the week favored by more than a touchdown before the line was bet down to 6.5 points in the hours before kickoff.

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The Chiefs had the ball facing a 3rd and 8 on the Jets’ 11-yard-line right after the 2-minute warning. With the Jets out of timeouts, a first down effectively ended the game while a TD gave the Chiefs a likely insurmountable two-score lead.

Mahomes chose to end the game. As the Jets ran man coverage on third down and apparently didn’t have a spy for Mahomes, the reigning NFL MVP ran to his left and slid to the ground past the first down marker and short of the end zone.

Of course, there is no assurance that Mahomes’ touchdown would have resulted in the Chiefs covering the spread. Before trying an onside kick, the Jets might have advanced down the field and scored a touchdown or kicked a late field goal to affect some gamblers’ tickets. However, Chiefs bettors would have been happy had Mahomes reached the end zone.

During a lengthy drive that covered only 51 yards, the Chiefs controlled the ball for the final 7:24 of the game. Earlier in the drive, Mahomes successfully converted a crucial third down with a 25-yard rush, and the Chiefs later converted a third down with a contentious holding call on Jets CB Sauce Gardner.

Mahomes finished the game with 51 rushing yards and was 18-of-30 passing for 203 yards and a TD and two interceptions.