One bettor lost $40,000 on the Browns desperation laterals in the worst bad beat of the NFL season

• The Cleveland Browns lost to the Baltimore Ravens 47-42 on Monday night.
• On the final play of the game, the Browns took a safety after a series of ill-fated desperation laterals.
• That final play was costly for bettors backing the Browns, who lost their bets with the two-point safety to close the game.
• One bettor lost $40,000 on the bad beat.

The Cleveland Browns lost to the Baltimore Ravens 47-42 on Monday night in what was undoubtedly the best game of the NFL season thus far.

While the game was a thrill to watch, it came with an especially painful ending for bettors who backed the Browns to cover the spread.

Heading into the game, the Browns were 3-point underdogs to the Ravens, needing to either win the game outright or lose by less than three in order for Cleveland bettors to cash their bets. Conversely, the Ravens had to win by more than three points in order for Baltimore bettors to win.

After an absolutely wild fourth quarter, the game looked like it had been settled when Ravens kicker Justin Tucker hit a field goal with just two seconds remaining on the clock to give Baltimore a 45-42 lead.

At the moment, it looked as though most bets would end up as a push, with the game landing exactly on the 3-point spread and give bettors a refund. But on the final play of regulation, the Browns attempted a multi-lateral miracle to try and pull out a win. Instead, it ended in a safety.

—Homer J Simpson (@simpsonhomerj1) December 15, 2020

Had anyone simply fallen on the ball, the game would have ended, but the Browns kept playing backward all the way into their own end zone before the safety was called. With the extra two points, the Ravens won 47-42, covering the spread for Baltimore bettors and leaving Browns bettors tearing up their tickets.

The loss was especially painful for one bettor who had $40,000 riding on the Browns and had actually caught Cleveland with an extra point on the spread.

—Patrick Everson (@Covers_Vegas) December 15, 2020

Before the laterals began, the 4.5-point cushion was enough to send that bettor home a winner. Instead, the lateral left them a half-point short and with a $40,000 hole in their pocket.

Bad beats don't get worse than that.