Case of the Mondays: Multiple Teams Lose More than Just a Game

by Ricky Dimon - 10/12/2015

Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles

The Chiefs not only lost at home to a bad team on Sunday, but they also saw star running back Jamaal Charles go down for the season with a torn ACL. On the college gridiron it was a similar story for Georgia. Heisman Trophy contender Nick Chubb suffered a season-ending knee injury and promptly squandered all of 24-3 advantage over Tennessee. But nobody blew a lead in more improbable fashion this past weekend than the Seahawks.

Odds provided by BetOnline Sportsbook unless otherwise indicated.

Seattle Seahawks . Seattle pretty much saved its season-or the officials saved its season-with a hard-fought victory over Detroit in Week 4. That prevented Pete Carroll's squad from falling to alarming 1-3. It looked like the Seahawks would have no trouble saving themselves from a 2-3 record on Sunday at Cincinnati. Instead, they squandered all of a 17-point fourth-quarter lead by giving up 17 points in the final frame having allowed just seven in the previous three. Andy Dalton engineered the Bengals' comeback by abusing cornerback Cary Williams before Mike Nugent booted the game-winner from 42 yards out in overtime. The Seahawks are +900 to win the Super Bowl.

Jamaal Charles . Losing to the Bears in your own stadium automatically qualifies as a disaster regardless of other circumstances. When it happens after blowing a 17-3 second-half advantage, it's especially bad. And that is not even to mention what befell Charles, who sustained a dreaded non-contact injury. He got hurt on the first drive after halftime as Kansas City was inside Chicago's 10-yard line and poised to extend its cushion to at least 20-3 if not 24-3. But the ensuing field goal was blocked, Charles never returned, and the rest is history. The Chiefs lost 18-17 and learned thereafter that Charles is out for the season with a torn ACL. They are +3.5 underdogs at Minnesota in Week 6.

Nick Chubb . Georgia had fallen victim to an almost identical fate one day earlier, although Mark Richt's program was nowhere near as big of a favorite at Tennessee as Kansas City was against the Bears. The Bulldogs found themselves less than two minutes away from going into the intermission ahead by three touchdowns. That, however, is when it all unraveled for the visitors, who surrendered two late first-half scores and ultimately lost 38-31 to the Volunteers. Georgia will also be without Chubb for the remainder of 2015 after he suffered a gruesome leg injury on the afternoon's first play from scrimmage. The super sophomore somehow did not tear his ACL, but he shredded just about everything else. UGA is a -16 home favorite over Missouri on Saturday.

Oklahoma . Texas had a fever, and the only prescription was a rivalry game against Oklahoma. Charlie Strong's team slumped to a horrendous 1-4 with an embarrassing 50-7 loss to TCU the previous week, so it was an underdog of more than two touchdowns versus the Sooners. No matter. The Longhorns raced to a 14-0 advantage in the first quarter and held on for a 24-17 upset. Just like that, OU's undefeated record flew out the window against the unlikeliest and most hated of opponents. Oklahoma is a -4.5 favorite at Kansas State this week.

Ruben Tejada . Just about everyone outside of Los Angeles hates Dodgers' second baseman Chase Utley right now. But nobody-except maybe diehard Mets fans-was impacted by Utley's actions more than Tejada. A vicious slide into second base by Utley, who was trying to break up a double play during Game 2 of the NLDS this past Saturday, broke Tejada's right leg. It also opened the floodgates, as L.A. ended up scoring four runs in that seventh inning to erase a 2-1 deficit and ultimately even the series at 1-1 with a 5-2 victory. Tejada is obviously out for the rest of the playoffs, while Utley has been suspended for two games. New York is a slight -105 underdog in the series.

Kyle Busch . Arguably the best driver in the business since returning from a broken leg this spring to qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup, Busch was running well once again at Sunday's Bank of America 500 in Charlotte. The No. 18 car started second and found itself in third late in the race before it all went wrong on pit road. Busch made a last-second decision not to put just as Kyle Larson made a last-second decision to pit. With two of the leaders veering different ways at the same time, they collided. Costly time lost for repairs sent both Busch and Larson to the middle of the pack. Busch, who finished 20 ^th and is now third to last in the standings, is at risk of second-round elimination for a second straight year in the Chase. Sportsbook has Kevin Harvick as a +350 title favorite.

USMNT . Landon Donovan said prior to Saturday's match against Mexico that United States head coach Jurgen Klinsmann should be fired if the Americans lost. Of course, Donovan is bitter having been left off the 2014 World Cup roster-few others are calling as loudly for Klinsmann's head. But the seat may be hotter now, and it's not just Donovan lighting the flame. Team USA lost to the Mexican side 3-2 in a Concacaf Cup playoff showdown at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. Mexico twice saw a one-goal advantage slip away but scored the clincher with four minutes left in overtime. With the win, Mexico secured a spot in the 2017 Confederations Cup. The United States can still qualify but it will have to go back to the drawing board before doing so. Both teams are +5000 at Sportsbook.ag to win the 2018 World Cup; Germany is a +500 favorite.

Start:	November 23, 2024 @ 10:07 PM
Expert:	Vernon Croy
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