National Football League

2023 Bad Beats: Texans win but bettors lament Houston taking knee

Updated Nov. 5, 2023 6:12 p.m. ET

An injury to a kicker resulted in an NFL bad beat for Houston Texans bettors who gave the 2.5 points against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud had a breakout game in the 39-37 win over the Buccaneers, but that was of little consolation to the Houston bettors who gave the points.

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The bad beat was a result of Texans kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn suffering a quadriceps injury during the first half and not returning.

The Buccaneers took a 37-33 lead with 46 seconds to go, as Baker Mayfield threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cade Otton.

Stroud responded by throwing a 15-yard touchdown pass to Tank Dell with six seconds to go for a 39-37 lead.

If Fairbairn were healthy, the Texans likely kick the extra point and Houston bettors cover the 2.5 points.

Instead, Houston coach DeMeco Ryans elected to have Stroud take a knee instead of kicking the extra point with a position player, or risking a fumble or interception return on a two-point conversion. Returning a fumble or interception to the end zone is worth two points.

It's not like Houston didn't have a serviceable backup kicker. Running back Dare Ogunbowale kicked a 29-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter to give the Texans a 33-30 lead.

Stroud was 30-for-42 passing (71.4%) for a rookie-record 470 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions.

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