The start of football season marks a time for fans to cheer on their favorite teams, but it’s also when sports bettors take a swing for the fences for a large payday.
One bettor did exactly that, creating a nine-leg parlay on DraftKings Sportsbook that went from Sept. 3-11, including six MLB games, one college football game and two NFL games.
The anonymous gambler wagered just $50 and won $75,523. The parlay odds were an improbable +151046. The implied probability of losing the parlay was 99.93%.
The final leg of the parlay was the New York Jets moneyline. Even with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, the Jets were underdogs at home to the Buffalo Bills.
The bettor must’ve been on the edge of their seat as Rodgers took to the field on Sept. 11 wielding an American flag.
Then, a sports tragedy struck.
Rodgers was sacked by Bills edge rusher Leonard Floyd, tore his Achilles and was shockingly out of the game.
Imagine winning eight legs of a parlay across eight days only to see it go up in smoke with a Rodgers injury and backup Zach Wilson replacing him in the game.
Instead, the Bills and quarterback Josh Allen had a whopping four turnovers, took the game to overtime 16-16, went three-and-out and punted it away. Then, undrafted rookie Xavier Gipson returned it to win the game for the Jets 22-16.
That’s how this massive nine-leg parlay was won. It was a punt return from an undrafted rookie out of Stephen F. Austin State University.
Below, we’ll recap each leg of this long-shot parlay.
The Multi-Sport Parlay That Almost Wasn’t
Chicago Cubs -1.5 (Sept. 3)
Despite five earned runs allowed by starting pitcher Jameson Taillon, the Cubs went nuclear in this game against the Cincinnati Reds and starter Carson Spiers. They won 15-7 with 18 hits and four RBIs from outfielder Ian Happ. They easily covered the run line of 1.5.
Philadelphia Phillies -1.5 (Sept. 3)
This one was a bit closer than the Cubs game. On the road taking on the Brewers, the Phillies were down 2-1 heading into the seventh inning. The bettor here had to wait six innings to get back on top, as after those six innings, two runs were needed to cover the 1.5-run line.
To kick off the seventh inning, the Phillies got home runs from Alec Bohm and J.T. Realmuto off Wade Miley. The Phillies were then up 3-2. They had the lead, but another run was needed.
Miley had a strikeout, then a walk, and he was pulled from the game. Finally, the Phillies, with two outs and two on, singled into center, which resulted in a run to score. The Phillies were then up 4-2. That was the final score, barely covering the 1.5 run line.
Miami Marlins -1.5 (Sept. 3)
Another close call, the Marlins won this matchup against the Washington Nationals on the road 6-4. Tied going into the ninth inning, the bettor had to be sweating once again.
The top of the ninth went like this:
- Single
- Strikeout
- Single
- A fielder’s choice and a throwing error resulted in a run
- Jazz Chisholm steals second
- Single, resulting in Chisholm scoring
Finally, the Marlins were up 6-4. The Marlins held the Nationals in check despite some close calls to cover the 1.5 run line, baseball’s version of the spread.
New York Mets Moneyline (Sept. 3)
For this one, the bettor decided to go with the moneyline instead of the run line. Taking on the Mariners, and without the odds in front of us, we can assume the Mets were underdogs here, which added to the parlay odds. George Kirby was on the mound for the Mariners but lasted just three innings. Tylor Megill went just over five innings, allowing three runs.
This one was fairly straightforward. The Mets led 4-0 through three innings. The Mariners scored three runs, but the Mets added two more to win 6-3.
Tampa Bay Rays -1.5 (Sept. 3)
In his first start returning to the majors, Taj Bradley, who has excellent strikeout material, went five innings against the Guardians, allowing just one run and striking out seven. He did have five walks, though. The Rays have a terrific offense, averaging over five runs per game. They took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning and never looked back. They won 6-2, covering this run line with ease.
New York Yankees Moneyline (Sept. 3)
Traveling on the road against the Houston Astros, the Yankees were +120 underdogs with Michael King on the mound. King went five innings and allowed just one run. The Yankees lineup came alive, with home runs from Gleyber Torres and Jasson Dominguez. The Astros scored their lone run in the first inning, but it was all Yankees from there, scoring three runs in the sixth and the other three in the ninth.
Florida State Seminoles Moneyline (Sept. 3)
The Seminoles were slight underdogs (+105) at home to the LSU Tigers. FSU QB Jordan Travis and this offense were great last season, but the Tigers were projected as one of the top teams in the SEC and all of college football.
However, many fans didn’t know the full power of Seminoles wide receiver and Michigan State transfer Keon Coleman. He hauled in nine receptions for 122 yards and three touchdowns, while Travis threw for 342 yards, four touchdowns, one interception and rushed for a touchdown. They won 45-24 in domination of the Tigers.
Detroit Lions Moneyline (Sept. 7)
Heading into this matchup, the Detroit Lions’ opponent, the Kansas City Chiefs, were without defensive tackle Chris Jones due to a contract dispute and tight end Travis Kelce due to injury. Still, the Lions closed as +185 underdogs at DraftKings.
The Lions won 21-20 thanks to a pick-six after Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney let the ball bounce off his hands and into the arms of nickel cornerback Brian Branch.
A narrow victory for the Lions and the penultimate leg of this improbable nine-leg parlay.
New York Jets Moneyline (Sept. 11)
The final leg of the parlay had about as much drama as you could imagine.
We already covered above how the Jets won this game, but there must’ve been divine powers looking after this bettor as Allen performed terribly. At the same time, Wilson threw an interception, one touchdown and racked up just 140 passing yards.
Wilson’s lone touchdown came on what will likely be the catch of the year from wide receiver Garrett Wilson, batting the ball with the back of his hand and corralling it with one hand.
It was an amazing way to cap off this parlay and award the lucky bettor more than $75,000.
