Bettor cashes historic $3.1 million wager on Eagles to beat Panthers after Carolina nearly pulled off upset

With Sunday’s Week 14 matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers now in the books, one bettor can exhale after sweating out the fourth quarter. This week, a bettor in Kentucky made a seismic wager, backing the Eagles on the moneyline to defeat Carolina. Circa Sports, who took the wager, told ESPN that the bettor placed a total of $3.1 million on the Eagles to win, making it one of the largest bets ever reported for an NFL regular-season game.

To the bettor’s delight, Philadelphia fended off Carolina after being put on upset alert heading into the fourth quarter. As the game turned to the fourth, the Panthers led 16-14. The Eagles would quickly retake the lead in the early stages of the fourth quarter, however, thanks to a Jalen Hurts touchdown to tight end Grant Calcaterra, but the Panthers did not go down quietly. 

Down by six, Carolina got the ball at their own 3-yard line with just under three minutes left in regulation. Despite the poor field position, Bryce Young brought his team nearly the length of the field, reaching as far as the Philadelphia 32-yard line with hopes of pulling off the upset. He even had rookie wideout Xavier Legette open over the middle of the field for what would’ve been a go-ahead touchdown or close to it, but Legette couldn’t complete the catch. 

After a failed attempt to move the sticks on fourth down, the Eagles gained possession and edged out the 22-16 win to move to 11-2 on the season and cash the bet. Initially, the bettor first placed a $1 million wager on the Eagles, but then asked to bet more and ended up at the $3.1 million figure. Circa Sports took the wager at -700 odds, which has since paid out to roughly $442,800. It is the largest bet the sportsbook has ever taken, owner Derek Stevens told ESPN. 

This $3.1 million wager is believed to be one of the largest ever placed on a regular season NFL game. The largest bets ever recorded for an NFL game have all come in the Super Bowl. In Super Bowl XLIV, a $6 million wager was placed on the New Orleans Saints with the points over the Indianapolis Colts. Meanwhile, famed Houston-area bettor Jim “Mattress Mack” McIgvale has made several bets that have exceeded $3 million in recent Super Bowls. 

While this massive wager was on the moneyline, the Panthers closed as a 14-point underdog. Had they pulled out the win, it would’ve been the largest upset in the NFL in four years (Jaguars in Week 18 of 2021 vs Colts).