The New York Jets looked like a lock to cover the spread against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, and then Geno Smith happened. The Broncos were favored by more than a touchdown everywhere and up to 9.5 points at some sportsbooks. With Denver leading by seven and just 15 seconds to go, Smith threw a pick-six to Aqib Talib that gave the Broncos a 31-17 win.
Las Vegas lost huge money on Smith’s latest mistake. The CG Technology sportsbook at the M Resort lost just over $625,000 to Floyd Mayweather Jr., who bet $815,000 on the Broncos giving 7.5 points at -130 odds. Of course, if Smith didn’t throw the pick-six we would have never heard from Floyd.
After Smith threw the interception, MGM Mirage sportsbook vice president Jay Rood said he kicked a hole in the wall of his office.
“The place went absolutely berserk,” Rood told ESPN’s David Purdum. “I kicked a hole in the wall. I’ll leave it as a reminder of my feelings toward Geno Smith.”
The overwhelming majority of the betting public took the Broncos to cover, with one sportsbook telling ESPN that 95% of the action in the Denver-New York game was on the Broncos. Later that afternoon, Kirk Cousins threw a pick-six at the end of the Washington Redskins’ game against the Arizona Cardinals that allowed the Cards to cover.
As for Mayweather, it was his second huge win in the past week. Who knows how much he has lost.
