Rams' Sean McVay deals stunning bad beat to 49ers bettors with last-second field goal in Week 2 loss

If you bet on San Francisco, you're probably still in disbelief

The Rams lost to the 49ers on Sunday. But anyone who bet on the 49ers probably suffered just as much.

Trailing by 10 with four seconds left in Week 2, Rams coach Sean McVay inexplicably ordered a 38-yard field goal as time expired. Not only did Brett Maher's subsequent kick cut San Francisco's winning margin by three, but it delivered a stunningly bad beat to those who wagered with sportsbooks featuring the 49ers as 7- or 7.5-point favorites.

At the start of the Rams' final drive, it appeared L.A. might still have time for an improbable comeback, down 30-20. After quarterback Matthew Stafford helped drive the team to the 49ers' 20-yard line, spiking the ball there, only four seconds remained. Broadcasters were mystified when McVay elected for the field goal rather than simply running out the clock or trying for a last-gasp touchdown, which might've at least pulled the Rams within two points on the final score.

It's possible McVay was betting -- no pun intended -- on safer points, hoping to improve the Rams' point differential for a potential late-year playoffs tiebreaker. Regardless, the seemingly meaningless field goal doomed those who bet 49ers -7.5.

San Francisco was favored by eight points for much of the week leading up to Sunday's game, and closed at -7 for some sportsbooks. The Westgate SuperBook and South Point sportsbook each took hits on the field goal, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal, while others, like Caesars, benefitted from the unexpected score.

"That definitely helped us," Caesars executive Adam Pullen said. "We had some puzzled looks in the trading room on why that happened. Obviously, if they were going to kick a field goal (and try to score again later), they should've (done) it the play before."