Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey had a rare miss in the second half of Thursday night’s game against the New York Giants, and some conspiracy theorists are convinced the result was not an accident.
The Cowboys were leading the Giants by five with 30 seconds left in their eventual 20-15 win at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Aubrey attempted a 51-yard field goal on 4th-and-8 that would have put Dallas up 23-15, but he missed it wide right.
Aubrey has been practically automatic in his first two seasons with the Cowboys. In fact, the miss on Thursday was his first ever from 50 or more yards in 17 attempts. While Dallas still held on to win, they were a 5.5-point gambling favorite over the Giants. That means they would have covered the spread if Aubrey converted the kick. Instead, anyone who bet on New York at +5.5 cashed.
One internet gambling personality broke down the implications and joked that “there should be protests around the country.”
Brandon Aubrey… not like this.
Dak Prescott laughing about the spread hurts. pic.twitter.com/lMZhjR8TGC
— Gavin McHugh (@gavinmchughh) September 27, 2024
An overwhelming amount of both the bets and money were on the Cowboys to cover the 5.5-point spread. That means sportsbooks in Las Vegas and elsewhere made huge profits thanks to Aubrey, as the Giants covered. There were more than a few people who thought it was no coincidence:
Dallas Cowboys -5.5 ❌
Brandon Aubrey (regarded as the best kicker in the NFL right now) just: 👇🏽
•Left his hip open
•Didn’t lock out his knee
•Lifted his eyes
•Planted with his toe inside4 things I’ve literally never seen him do.
Wild stuff. 👀#NFL #DALvsNYG pic.twitter.com/tpEkT9HVs8
— Riggs Tamburo (@RiggsSportsTalk) September 27, 2024
The “NFL is Rigged” crowd gonna go CRAZY with this one.
Cowboys were -5.5 Favorites.
They won by 5 (20-15) thanks to this Brandon Aubrey miss.And I ain’t sayin….but I’m just sayin….
that kick looked awfully nonchalant to meVegas wins yet AGAIN🤣 pic.twitter.com/6YwbWmHS12
— Landon Holifield ✭ (@TheLandoShow) September 27, 2024
“Hello, is this Brandon Aubrey? It’s Vegas. 90% of the money is on Dallas -5.5, we’re going to need you to push this right.”
Brandon Aubrey: “Say no more.” https://t.co/qfUuYVAltm
— Mike 🌽 (@HuskerMike28) September 27, 2024
The Boys: “Aubrey makes these in his sleep”
Vegas: pic.twitter.com/JpfGuPmOf8
— Your Best Bet (@YBBSportsData) September 27, 2024
Aubrey went 36/38 as a rookie with the Cowboys last season. The former Notre Dame star even has a special nickname for how smooth his kicks look. The late miss against New York was his first of the season, as he was a perfect 12/12 before that and 6/6 from 50-plus yards.
Was Aubrey working with bookmakers when he pushed the field goal wide right? Almost certainly not, but you can understand why many gamblers were irate over the bad beat.
