Saquon Barkley’s strategic slide cost plenty of bettors who had bet on him to score

With 1:09 to play on Sunday and the Eagles holding a 22-10 lead, running back Saquon Barkley broke free for what would have been a 76-yard touchdown run. Barkley opted to slide at the Philly 41. With one more snap, the game was over.

If he’d scored, the Eagles would have opened up a three-score lead, with not nearly enough time for the Packers to tie the game or win it.

Still, it was an easy way to ice the game. And it froze out those who bet on Barkley to score a touchdown during the game.

Via David Purdum of ESPN.com, more bets were placed on Barkley to score a touchdown than on any other player in any of the three Sunday Wild Card game, at multiple sports books. It was also the third most popular leg of all parlays placed through ESPN Bet.

Barkley said after the game that he wasn’t tempted to finish the play with a long touchdown run, which also would have pushed his rushing total from 119 yards to 178.

“It’s first down you win the game, so it’s get the first down and get down,” Barkley said, via Purdum. “Don’t matter.”

It did matter to plenty of people who had wagered money on Barkley to score. But that’s the risk you take when you make a bet.

And as my dad the bookie told me when I was old enough to understand it but not old enough to rebel, “You can’t win.”