Super Bowl LVII lived up to the hype. Until it didn’t. A generational performance between Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts—the most talented player I’ve ever seen and an aspiring young quarterback made for the big game—derailed by a kind of soft, kind of not defensive holding call with two minutes to play.
Fair or not, it happened, and it was the final nail in the coffin, a strike preceded by hammer swings of pre-snap motion, clutch quarterbacking, and one too many field goals. The Kansas City Chiefs were champions and the Philadelphia Eagles wasted the best game of Hurts’ professional career.
It wouldn’t have been surprising to see Philadelphia mourn their chances with denial and anger, coming to terms with the fact that a controversial penalty flag ended their seasons. They didn’t.
The temperament throughout the Eagles’ post-game interviews was the polar opposite that many of their fans held. Even neutral parties feeling robbed of an entertaining ending were sour.
“I’m never going to be somebody that puts blame or anything on officials,” said veteran center Jason Kelce.
“I’m big on self-reflection” started Hurts. “And reflection on the things that I could have done better.” Hurts, who lost a fumble, was quick to acknowledge his own miscues. Many of his teammates followed the same path.
James Bradberry, the cornerback called for the hold, took ownership. “It was a hold. So, they called it.” If anyone had an excuse to complain, it was Bradberry. He took the high road.
Veteran defensive end Brandon Graham put it simply. “We shouldn’t even put ourselves in that position.”
Most importantly, head coach Nick Sirianni agreed. He acknowledged that one play didn’t decide the game; it was an accumulation of mistakes on both sides of the ball. He rightfully admitted the Chiefs played better.
What can we learn from the Eagles’ loss?
I list these quotes not to change the public opinion about the “tough guy” Eagles or the city they hail from. Philadelphia taught us how to lose, and their attitude can be helpful for us bettors when misfortune strikes.
Maybe the holding call cost you a chance at completing a parlay or cashing in on an Eagles win. Perhaps you had a futures placed that looked promising until the fourth quarter. Whether your betting loss came on Sunday or not, we know that losing is inevitable. The house always wins. Our best models, hot streaks, and picks have bad days.
I’ve lost almost half of my bankroll on the Home Run Derby of all events. I’ve been beaten by last second injuries, incompetence, and other catastrophic events. The worst thing you can do is take anger from the feeling that comes with “deserving” something.
Stick to good process decisions and trust that process when things go awry. Betting away your bankroll out of anger only leads to worse bets. Chasing losses only deepens the hole your last bet dug.
Sometimes, you get screwed. Sometimes, the bet probably wasn’t as good as you thought. Eventually, the luck will swing back in your favor.
The Eagles will eventually win off of a lucky bounce, a bad call, an inconsistent referee. An opponent will slip one way instead of the other on a poor playing surface. They’ll have taken advantage of it. Maybe you will too.
Losing is supposed to hurt. Don’t make it worse by placing angry bets.