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I’ve been sunk by plenty of unforeseen factors during my gambling days, but Week 3 was the first time I’ve been done in by the “10-second runoff’’ rule.

Never before had I paid attention to this canon, but I was forced to during the Lions-Falcons tilt. I had Detroit plus-3 and it trailed Atlanta, 30-26, but the Lions appeared to score a touchdown on a Golden Tate reception with eight seconds left.

The scoreboard changed to 32-30, but I came back to reality during the review process when it became clear Tate didn’t score. A bummer, for sure, but with eight seconds remaining, I figured the Lions had time for at least one more play. Or so I thought. This is when the 10-second runoff interrupted my life.

Essentially, the rule exists to make sure a team with no timeouts remaining — such as the Lions — cannot fake an injury or use a replay to give themselves an advantage when the clock is stopped. Thus, after a review or an injury, a team is docked 10 seconds — an estimate of how long it would take a team to line up for the next play. The runoff after the Tate replay allowed the Falcons to walk off with a win.

I suppose all of this is mildly interesting, and I certainly learned something, but you know and I know I would be better off not with any of this knowledge, but with a thicker money clip.

This week’s picks (home team in caps):

Washington (+7) over KANSAS CITY: I realize the Chiefs crowd provides a substantial home-field advantage, and Kansas City is averaging 31 points, but 7 is too many points to lay against a Washington team that has a nice offense/defense balance. Risking $110 to win $100.

NEW ENGLAND (-9) over Carolina: Assuming the Patriots defense figures something out, the bet here is that Carolina cannot score enough to keep up. Risking $110 to win $100.

ATLANTA (-7½) over Buffalo: This matchup fits the profile of a laugher. Back the Falcons. Risking $110 to win $100.

Miami (+3) over New Orleans (in London): The Dolphins aren’t as bad as they looked against the Jets, and the Saints aren’t as capable as they appeared in a takedown of the Panthers. Stare momentum in the face and take the points. Risking $110 to win $100.

Last week: 3-2, plus $80. Season: 10-4, plus $560.

Ed Ryan can be reached at edward.ryaniii@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @EdzoRyan