Jordan Davis play delivered Eagles win - and cover

The legalization, and normalization, of sports betting has converted footnotes into headlines. For better or worse.

On Sunday, the natural headline is that Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis blocked a last-second Rams field goal, preserving Philly’s stunning 20-point run that wiped out a 26-7 third-quarter deficit. The gambling-related headline is that, instead of falling on the loose ball and ending the game, Davis scooped it up and rumbled 61 yards to paydirt — turning the final score into a spread-covering margin of 33-26.

The smart football play would have been to dive on the ball or, once Davis had possession of it, to fall down. If a Rams player had managed to catch him and rip the ball free, it could have been returned (in theory) by the Rams for a game-winning score. Or, if the Rams player had been tackled during the return, a foul on the Eagles (e.g., facemask) would have given the Rams 15 yards and an untimed down. Which could have resulted in another potential game-winning field goal try.

Davis surely wasn’t thinking about that. He was caught up in the moment. And it worked. Still, despite the small risk of the Davis return going haywire, the right tactical move would have been to go down and preserve the win.

The moment underscores the impact of legalized and normalized betting on how many now view the games. It’s not just about team wins or losses.

It’s the latest tangible example of the impact of sports betting on sports. For some, it was the thrill of financial victory. For others, it was the agony of bad beat.

Standing alone, nothing about that play cries out for oversight or change. It falls squarely in the “shit happens” category. But it’s a reminder that, in some circumstances, the spur-of-the-moment decisions made by one player can shift millions of dollars.

It’s also a reminder that an NFL gambling scandal is lurking, somewhere. So far (and as far as we know), pro football hasn’t had a controversy arising from player (or coach) efforts to manipulate game wagers or prop bets. It would be naive to think that will never happen.

With each passing year, more incoming football players will have come of age in an era of relentless betting commercials. For many of them, the competitive thrill that comes from playing sports will trickle over to the apps on their phones. They’ll view gambling far differently than their predecessors ever did.

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