Imagine being able to back your favorite NFL team to do anything other than lose by more than 51 points.

That happened for some Indianapolis Colts fans on Monday in Indiana thanks to FanDuel’s “Spread the Love Campaign” featuring TV and radio personality Pat McAfee, a former Colts punter. The promotion ultimately drove the line on the Colts, which was +8.5 against the Saints at New Orleans, to Colts +51 by the time FanDuel stopped taking bets.

FanDuel Attracts Colts Backers

Here’s how the promotion worked, and why FanDuel probably did it.

The line for the Colts vs. Saints game started at +8.5 at FanDuel’s online sportsbook in Indiana. For every 250 fans that bet the spread via the promotion though, the line would move one point in favor of Colts bettors.

With 10,500 people participating in the promotion posting max limit bets of $50 on the game, the line moved pretty fast and furiously just about every single hour.

With more than four hours left until kickoff, the line was +25. Two hours later, it was +31, and just about the time the game was about to start, it was +40. By the time FanDuel stopped taking action on the promotion, the line had grown to +51.

As you probably already guessed, that meant there were all sorts of happy Colts fans last night despite the team’s 34-7 loss on Monday Night Football to the Saints.

FanDuel’s promo was indeed a sharp play. It encouraged bettors to back their hometown team, offered an increasingly ridiculous spread for which they could bet. The moving line of course encouraged bettors, especially new ones FanDuel hopes to see more of in the future, to get in on the action.

Spread Was an NFL Betting Record

Wondering just how big a spread it was? Oh, around four touchdowns greater than the largest spread for any NFL game since 1970.

That happened in 2013 when the Jacksonville Jaguars entered their game against the Denver Broncos winless with all five losses coming by double digits. The Broncos eventually went on to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl that year while the Jaguars finished 4-12.

On top of all that, entering that particular contest, Hall of Fame QB Peyton Manning had already led the Broncos to a 5-0 record with an average margin of victory of 18.2 points.

The Jaguars were +26.5 for that game.

So yeah, getting the Colts +51 against the New Orleans Saints on Monday night was a special deal for bettors who took part in the promotion.

Check Out Other NFL Games Latest Betting Odds:

• Bengals vs Steelers
• 49ers vs Chiefs
• Cowboys vs Eagles