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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"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.

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."

Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams showed NFL fans once again that they're a match made in heaven.

Chicago didn't give the New England Patriots much of a shot in Week 7's Thursday night matchup. The Bears comfortably beat the Pats, 30-24, improving to 5-2.

In a game decided by just six points, Drake Maye leaving guaranteed points on the turf with a killer second-quarter end-zone pick loomed large. It forced New England into chase mode all night. It was Maye's third INT in the end zone this season.

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New England almost went into the halftime break facing a scary deficit, if not for a 48-yard TD run by Pats RB Rhamondre Stevenson. Chicago's defense fell asleep at the wheel; an effort on D unbecoming of this franchise.

In his second game back from a hamstring injury, Caleb continued to ride an offensive groove, throwing for 308 yards (22-of-32) and two touchdowns.

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On the Al Michaels front — the play-by-play icon had another sleepy outing, stumbling through a few sequences, including calling a Pats "fumble" that never occurred. The 81-year-old broadcaster also mistook Williams and Maye for QBs from the "class of 2014." They were drafted in 2024.

Chicago extinguished New England's last-minute comeback bid courtesy of exceptional clock management by coach Johnson and a nail-in-the-coffin, career-best 58-yard field goal from Cairo Santos. The kick let the former Vrabel disciple stick it to his old boss, leaving the Patriots coach grimacing on the sideline knowing he'd been out-dueled.

Maye finished with 321 passing yards (24-of-31) with two touchdowns and that costly turnover.

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Courtesy of the NFL scheduling gods, Vrabel and the Patriots have a prime get-right spot against the Dolphins in Week 8 after dropping to 4-3.

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The final play of the first half between the New England Patriots and Chicago Bears on "Thursday Night Football" was the definition of: "What in the world did we just watch?"

After Luther Burden III scored for the Bears on third-and-17 near the red zone, Chicago went up 20-7 in the waning seconds of the second quarter. With the Bears getting the ball to start the third quarter, it would’ve been the perfect ending to the first half at home.

Keyword "would’ve."

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The Patriots took over with just 14 seconds left to play, but quarterback Drake Maye didn’t just kneel the clock out and head to the locker room. Instead, the Patriots were going to at least take a shot to get some points back before going to halftime.

After A.J. Brown hauled in his first catch of the night for 18 yards, the Patriots were near midfield for what should’ve been a Hail Mary attempt. But when Maye dumped the ball off to running back Rhamondre Stevenson, it seemed no points were coming the Patriots way in the end.

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But Stevenson found some space and waited for his teammates to make a couple of blocks. Then, the Bears defenders, who didn’t seem to have urgency to bring Stevenson down, over-pursued the veteran back, and he found a crease toward the end zone.

Stevenson sprinted into the end zone for a 48-yard score as the clock expired, shocking the entire Soldier Field crowd as the Bears were only up 20-14.

NextGenStats found that Stevenson only had a 4.3% chance of scoring once the ball hit his hands.

We’ll see if this miraculous touchdown will come back to haunt the Bears, who are playing their first home game since the passing of legendary coach Mike Ditka. The night began with a moment of silence for the Super Bowl-winning coach, while fans were given fake mustaches to replicate his iconic look.

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But the Patriots came into this road game in primetime hoping to keep their momentum going, as they have now won three straight games.

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Getting angry with officials can cost coaches on the field — and off it, too.

The NFL fined New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, New York Jets coach Aaron Glenn and Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni $250,000 each for their conduct toward officials, according to Sports Illustrated. The fines are being held in abeyance, meaning they could be waived if the coaches demonstrate good behavior, according to the report.

It is unclear whether the fines stemmed from specific incidents or a pattern of conduct by the coaches.

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In Week 4, Vrabel was flagged after expressing his displeasure with an official's call.

"I told him it was a terrible — I’m not going to say effing — call," Vrabel said after the game. "I’ve said that 87 times since I’ve been a head coach. It was nothing derogatory. You’d have to ask him. I think he was a little sensitive."

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Officials have also made headlines this season, as the NFL disciplined two officials for their conduct in Week 5. Line judge Jeff Seeman was fined for apparently cursing at Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride.

Referee Adrian Hill was suspended for one game for unprofessional conduct toward Minnesota Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson.

Wilson was pushed into Hill by a Miami Dolphins player after the play was blown dead, knocking the referee to the ground. Wilson offered to help Hill up, but the referee jumped to his feet, pointed at Wilson and yelled at him to get away.

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"That was funny, honestly," Wilson told reporters in the Vikings' locker room, according to ESPN. "I ended up apologizing to him and explained the situation. He was cool about it. He understood what was going on. He just said he didn't want us fighting, me and (Dolphins running back Ollie Gordon II). He said he was just trying to break us up."

The NFL hopes to prevent further incidents involving coaches and officials from becoming distractions for the remainder of the season.