Gather round, degenerates. It's time for our annual tradition of reliving the worst moments of the betting year. These are the plays that had us throwing remotes, screaming at clouds, and questioning every life decision that led us to this point. You're welcome.

The Quick Hit

• What happened: We rounded up the most gut-wrenching bad beats of 2025
• The damage: Countless bankrolls destroyed, several TVs broken
• Why you should care: Misery loves company
• The move: Read, cry, and remember you're not alone

The Jordan Davis Block Heard Round the World

Eagles vs. Rams. Three seconds left. Rams down 26-27, lining up for a game-winning 44-yard field goal. Every Rams backer in America is counting their money.

Then Jordan Davis, all 330 pounds of him, comes through the line like a freight train. Block. Scoop. Touchdown.

Final score: Eagles 33, Rams 26.

If you had the Rams to cover or win, your ticket went from winner to toilet paper in the span of six seconds. The Rams were about to kick the game-winner, and instead Philly runs back a blocked kick for a walk-off TD. This is why we drink.

The Lane Kiffin Special

Ole Miss vs. Kentucky. The Rebels are cruising, kick a field goal with 1:10 left to go up by 10. If you had Ole Miss -8.5, you're feeling pretty good about life.

Then Lane Kiffin happens.

With 13 seconds left, after Kentucky had already burned all their timeouts, Kiffin calls timeout. Why? Nobody knows. Maybe he wanted to give Kentucky one more chance. Maybe he was bored. Maybe he just hates people who bet on his team.

Kentucky kicks a meaningless 39-yard field goal. Final margin: 7 points. Ole Miss wins but doesn't cover. Bettors who had -8.5 watch their tickets die for absolutely no competitive reason. Classic Lane.

The Backdoor Cover Hall of Shame

Throughout 2025, we saw some truly ridiculous backdoor covers that defied logic:

Garbage Time Touchdowns: Multiple games where teams scored meaningless TDs in the final minutes just to make the score look respectable, flipping spreads in the process.

Prevent Defense Disasters: How many times did a team playing prevent defense give up chunk plays that swung the spread? Too many to count.

Kneel-Down Math Failures: Teams taking knees when they could've kicked field goals that would've covered. Coaches don't bet on themselves apparently.

The Sportsbook's Revenge

2025 was historically brutal for bettors. For the first time since PASPA was overturned, sportsbooks had at least six months where their national hold was 10% or higher. June hit 12.4%. The books were absolutely printing money while we were bleeding.

The public had a good March during the tournament, but otherwise it was death by a thousand cuts. Sharp money got squeezed, squares got crushed, and the sportsbooks laughed all the way to the bank.

Why Bad Beats Feel Worse in 2025

With legal betting available in nearly 40 states and apps on every phone, more people than ever are experiencing these moments in real time. The collective groan when a meaningless garbage time touchdown swings a spread is now a shared national experience.

Social media makes it worse. You're watching your bet die and simultaneously seeing 50,000 other people watching their bets die. It's group therapy and group suffering at the same time.

How to Survive Bad Beats in 2026

Some advice for the new year:

Avoid live betting when tilted: The books know you're emotional and they're waiting for you.

Take middling positions: If you can bet both sides at different numbers, you protect against exactly these scenarios.

Accept variance: Bad beats happen to everyone. The math will work out over time if your process is solid.

Have a separate bankroll: Money you can afford to lose. When the bad beat hits, it stings less if it's not rent money.

The Bottom Line

2025 gave us some truly horrific bad beats. Jordan Davis running back that blocked kick might haunt Rams bettors forever. Lane Kiffin calling timeout for no reason cost thousands of people money. And the sportsbooks had their best year ever while we suffered. Here's to hoping 2026 treats us better, though we all know it won't. Happy New Year, degenerates. May your spreads hit and your parlays cash.