FanDuel bettors lost what looked like easy money after Saquon Barkley got completely shut down by the Steelers

• Bettors on FanDuel lost what looked like a sure bet after the Pittsburgh Steelers completely shut down Giants running back Saquon Barkley.
• FanDuel promoted an odds boost mid-game, offering users even odds to bet Barkley to finish the game with more than 9.5 yards rushing.
• Up until that point, Barkley had been shut down by the Steelers defense, but the bet was too good to pass on.
• Unfortunately, Barkley couldn't get it going in the second half, and finished the game with just six yards on the ground.
• On Twitter, bettors couldn't believe they had lost what looked like such a sure winner.

FanDuel bettors learned the hard way on Monday night that there's no such thing as a sure bet.

As the Monday night game between the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers went to halftime, FanDuel promoted what looked like an easy money bet to users looking to get in on the action, offering Saquon Barkley at even odds to go over 9.5 rushing yards on the night.

With a maximum bet of $50, bettors could back Barkley to finish the game with 10 rushing yards or more and double their money.

—FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) September 15, 2020

Up until that point, the Giants had struggled on the ground — Barkley actually had -3 rushing yards in the first half thanks to several impressive stops by the Steelers defense.

—NationalFootballPost (@FootballPost) September 14, 2020

Given that he was already in the negative, Saquon actually needed 13 rushing yards in the second half to cash for bettors.

But even with the stellar play from the Pittsburgh defensive front, for many bettors, it was an offer too good to refuse. Barkley is one of the premier running backs in the league — there was no way the Steelers could hold him back for the whole game, right?

Wrong.

—ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 15, 2020

The Steelers defense continued to utterly dominate the Giants at the line, and Saquon's rushing attempts continued to end before they could begin. Saquon finished the game with just six rushing yards after an unreal performance from Pittsburgh.

On Twitter, bettors expressed their frustrations.

—Taylor (@RxbespierreBB) September 15, 2020

—MattK (@MattKriz) September 15, 2020

—Kyle Gagliardi (@TweetsByGags) September 15, 2020

—Stombaugh (@lonewolf2554) September 15, 2020

As it turns out, many potential bettors were actually saved by the bell because of how quickly the option to take the bet closed. Before the game reached its closing minutes, many of the replies to FanDuel's original tweet were from bettors who had been hoping to get in on the action.

—Alex (@AnotherPrimo) September 15, 2020

Those bettors had no idea how lucky they were.

To be fair to those that lost their bet, they were right to put their money down — FanDuel made an offer that was too good to refuse. But in sports betting, the outcome still has to be decided on the field, and as Barkley and the Steelers showed on Monday night, anything can happen.

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