The 2019 NFL season saw some fantastic games, and memorable plays also. The rise of Lamar Jackson, the Kansas City Chiefs’ title quest, Tom Brady’s last dance in Foxborough, all that made this campaign super interesting.
But apart from that, some games will be remembered for a long time. Unreal results that stunned the entire NFL community, or sensations in which underdogs defeated heavy favorites. We’ve picked a few of them for this article, and take five minutes of your time to read the next few lines.
The reign of the New England Patriots was officially interrupted last season. Bill Belichick’s team lost to Tennessee Titans in the Wild Card round, after dropping the second place in the AFC and a bye in the first week. Now, if you remember, that happened following their loss at home against the Dolphins in the final week of the regular part of the season.
Ryan Fitzpatrick tossed a 5-yard pass to Mike Gesicki for a TD 24 seconds before the end. And that was the moment that cracked the shell on the Pats’ dynasty.
Coming into that match, spread on the Pats was -17.5 points, and the odds 8/1 on the Dolphins’ win, while 1/10 on New England’s triumph. It is, without a doubt one of the most shocking contests of the year.
The Patriots are still the No.1 favorite for clinching the AFC East division with 13/10 odds, while on the other side, Miami is the last with 19/2. In between are the rising Buffalo Bills with 16/11, and the New York Jets 8/1. You have more of these odds at freebets.com.
The next game was Titans’ win in the Divisional Round against the Ravens in Baltimore. Derrick Henry and the boys smashed the No.1 team in the league and the biggest contenders for capturing the Vince Lombardy trophy. The fans expected to see a running game, but they expected to see the MVP, Lamar Jackson, in the main role, not Tennessee’s leader.
Henry had 195 rushing yards in 30 carries. He didn’t score a single touchdown but threw a three-yard pass for one, and he simply drove crazy the entire Ravens’ crew.
In the end, it was 28-12 for the Titans, who were 10-point underdogs coming into this event. Odds on the Ravens were 1/4 and on the guests 9/2.
These two teams are one of the favorites for winning the AFC conference this season. The reigning Super Bowl champion Chiefs are the biggest with 3/1, Baltimore comes afterward 13/4, while Bills, Steelers, and Titans sit at 11/1 behind them Colts with 14/1, the same as the Patriots are potential dark horses.
We just might see these franchises in the finals of the AFC, and that wouldn’t be so surprising. After all, they do have fantastic teams.
The last match in this text is going to be Tampa Bay’s and Rams’ shootout in LA in late August. The Buccs who were massive underdogs defeated the hosts 55-40, with Jameis Winston shipping four TD passes.
The team from LA was a nine-point favorite, and odds on their win were set at 1/5. As for the Bucs, they were at 9/2. Tampa Bay was seen as a non-relevant side in the 2019 campaign, which can’t be said for the upcoming season. With Tom Brady arriving in town and Rob Gronkowski after him, the Buccaneers are looking like one of the most prominent candidates for winning the title.
Right now the odds on them to capture the Vince Lombardy trophy are 11/1, and just three teams are ahead of Bruce Arians’ side. The first one are the Chiefs, 6/1, Baltimore is next 13/2, and the 49ers sit at 9/1. The Saints have equal chances as the Buccs, 11/1, and the Cowboys are 16/1.
All in all, we are ahead of one pretty interesting season.