‘We still pretending the NFL isn’t rigged?,’ one angry fan wrote on X after Waddle’s 23-yard loss at the end of the Dolphins’ 30-27 defeat to the Buffalo Bills led to a dramatic swing at sports books.
Trailing by three with five seconds remaining, the Dolphins had one last chance from their own 30-yard line to pull out a victory.
Meanwhile, a smattering of gamblers who wagered Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa would toss for more than 243.5 yards were already counting their winnings. After all, he’d already thrown for 254 yards on Sunday, and with time for only one last play, Tagovailoa was assuredly dropping back to pass once more.
But rather than heaving the ball downfield, Tagovailoa instead dumped the ball to running back De’Von Achane a yard behind the line of scrimmage. Achane lateralled to Waddle, who then became Miami’s last hope for a game-winning score.
Facing overwhelming odds, not to mention 11 Bills defenders, Waddle had no path forward. Instead Waddle tried to use his notorious speed to reverse field and outflank Buffalo’s defense by initially moving backwards.
Unfortunately for Waddle, the Dolphins, their fans, and anyone who took the ‘over’ on Tagovailoa’s passing yardage, Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau wasn’t fooled. The 6-foot-7, 267-pound former first-round pick pursued Waddle all the way to the seven-yard line, where he brought Waddle down with a one-armed tackle to end the game.
With that, Tagovailoa finished with 231 passing yards, leaving portion of gamblers outraged.
‘It’s rigged bro,’ one person wrote online.
The post-game focus on X centered around those who lost the over-under bet on Tagovailoa, rather than anyone who wagered he’d throw for less than 243.5 yards.
‘House wins,’ one critic wrote.
‘This smells like fish,’ another added.
Several responders concluded that ‘Jaylen had the under.’
Although Waddle did have a touchdown catch – his first of the season – he finished with just two catches for -4 yards on the day. His 23-yard loss is the most negative yardage on a completed pass this century, according to Fox Sports.
It’s unclear if the NFL will make any adjustments to Tagovailoa’s yardage, and even if they do, it’s not expected to reverse the outcome with sports books.