Texans vs. Jaguars spread: Why was last play of Week 4 game not a safety?

The Houston Texans were never particularly close to covering the spread in their Week 4 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars until the final play of regulation.

The Jaguars had the ball trailing 24-20 with five seconds remaining in regulation. Jacksonville was on its own 10-yard line and had to get creative in its quest to score a near-impossible game-winning touchdown.

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence checked the ball down to Christian Kirk for three yards before the Jaguars tried a series of laterals in hopes of finding a seam in Houston's defense. The final lateral went from Lawrence to running back Travis Etienne, who attempted to elude some Texans defenders near his own goal line.

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Cornerback Kamari Lassiter wrapped Etienne's ankle and tried to shake him in the end zone. He couldn't quite escape and fell to the ground in the end zone to end the game.

While bettors believed the Texans had gotten an improbable, game-ending safety, the officials ruled Etienne's forward progress had been stopped at the 1-yard line. Here's what to know about the final play of the Jaguars vs. Texans game.

Why was final play of Texans vs. Jaguars not a safety?

The final play of the Texans vs. Jaguars game wasn't a safety because the officials ruled Etienne's forward progress had been stopped at the 1-yard line.

The NFL's official rulebook defines forward progress as "the point at which [the runner or airborne receiver's] advance toward his opponent’s goal ends and is the spot at which the ball is declared dead by rule, irrespective of the runner or receiver being pushed or carried backward by an opponent."

The officials determined that point to be at the 1-yard line, where Lassiter first collided with Etienne. The Jaguars running back nearly managed to break the tackle, spinning nearly 360 degrees to try to shake Lassiter, but the rookie cornerback never let go of the running back's ankle.

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Had Etienne broken the tackle, the officials may have issued a different ruling. Still, the one they delivered appeared consistent with the NFL's forward progress rule, as Etienne didn't appear to truly move forward in the end zone despite his efforts to twist away from Lassiter.

What was the Texans vs. Jaguars spread?

The Texans vs. Jaguars spread closed with Houston as a 6-point favorite, though it did drop as low as 5.5 points in the lead-up to Sunday's game.

The Jaguars lost 24-20, but they covered both the 5.5- and 6-point spreads. Had they surrendered a safety at the end of the game, then Texans bettors who got the 5.5-point hook would have instead won, while anyone with a 6-point spread would have pushed.

As such, the call at the end of the Houston vs. Jacksonville matchup was critical in determining the betting victors, but it appears that Tra Blake's crew got it right.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texans vs. Jaguars point spread: Why last play was not a safety