Texans’ Last-Second TD Leads to Miracle Cover for Some Bettors, Bad Beat for Others

The Jaguars’ slow collapse on Sunday against the Texans was tough to watch. Jacksonville held a 29–10 heading into the fourth quarter and were facing a Houston side led by backup quarterback Davis Mills. It felt like cruise control could get the Jags to victory from there.

Instead, Mills and the Texans scored three straight touchdowns to take a 30–29 lead with just 30 seconds left in the game. When the Jags got the ball back, Trevor Lawrence tried to make a play to get his team into field goal range, but was tripped up. The ball flopped out of his hands and straight into the arms of Texans defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, who ran it back for another touchdown.

'SPEODHJFB[GNSTPMSE[N YOOO!!!!!

📺: @nfloncbs pic.twitter.com/wk5SoL3Q3T
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) November 9, 2025

Final score: Texans 36–Jaguars 29.

For most NFL fans, Rankins’s late score was just a fitting end to a dreadful performance for the Jaguars. Who doesn’t love a big-man touchdown? But for the a few fans who had bet on the Texans to win and cover the spread, Rankins’s emerged as a hero.

Heading into Week 10, the Texans were listed as 1.5-point favorites over the Jaguars at many sportsbooks, meaning that they would have to win by at least two points for bettors to cash their tickets.

At the start of the fourth quarter, no one would have faulted those that had backed Houston for tearing up their ticket, thinking the game was settled. Even if they didn’t, then they surely had to believe their bet was dead after the Texans came all the way back but failed to convert the two-point conversion that would have put them up by three with 30 seconds to play.

Instead, Rankins’s became a hero to some, and a villain to others.

The Jaguars were up 19 and still didn’t cover the +1.5 in the CBS pick ‘em after that Texans defensive TD to end the game.

That’s even worse than the Eagles-Rams back door cover earlier in the year
— Dave Giovanazzi (@SF_DavidGio) November 9, 2025

And with that fluke pick-six, Texans not only secure the comeback, but cover with a 36-29 victory, after closing -1/-1.5 at most books. Wow.https://t.co/rGsxYP47Gg
— Patrick Everson (@PatrickE_Vegas) November 9, 2025

That Texans back door cover sucked the life out of me
— Chad LeBrant (@ChadLeBrant) November 9, 2025

The Texans were covering for exactly 0 seconds today and covered. Amazing. If you had Jags, my condolences. https://t.co/wJzd1wGbz0
— David Bearman (@DavidBearman) November 9, 2025