Sports betting is a big part of the sports experience these days, and unfortunately, that will lead to questions about the game’s integrity, as OutKick’s Craig Carton pointed out on Friday’s edition of “The Craig Carton Show.”
The Chicago Bears took on the New England Patriots on Thursday, and there was a certain play late in the first half that caught Carton’s attention.
Patriots running back Rhamondre Stephenson caught a screen pass at midfield and somehow took it all the way to the house for a late touchdown with no time left on the clock. But it was what Bears DB Malik Muhammad did on the play that had Carton asking questions.
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Did… did Muhammad turn and run in the complete opposite direction that Stephenson was headed?
Well, it’s at least worth asking some questions.
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OutKick’s Craig Carton had some questions after a strange play by Chicago Bears defensive back Malik Muhammad on Thursday night against the New England Patriots. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh))
“What Malik Muhammad does next is why every single person that is against legalized wagering thinks the fix is in,” he said. “Rather than step into the hole and make an attempt to tackle Stevenson, he literally runs away from the play.”
Whether it was a bad read or something else, there’s really no question: that was about as big a whiff as you’ll see in the NFL.
Fortunately, that play didn’t have any impact on the game as the Bears won and covered the spread.
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson watches from the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings in Chicago, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Carton noted that the play likely got more attention because it was on a Thursday night, and that the NFL should be asking some questions.
“And that’s the type of play that needs to be investigated,” he said. “The NFL now has to sit down and interview Malik Muhammad and interview Ben Johnson of the Bears and get an explanation as to why (Muhammad was) running away from the ball carrier? Like it makes no sense at all. There’s not even a logical, reasonable explanation of ‘Well, I was going this way because I thought he might cut outside.’
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“No, there was no chance to cut outside because by you coming this way, you opened up a seven-yard gap.”
