JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars AFC South Division showdown with the Houston Texans did not disappoint with the Jaguars winning a close one 24-21.
Despite the Jaguars missing some opportunities on offense in the first half, the Jaguars led the game 13-7 at halftime.
A questionable play call by Head Coach Doug Pederson cost the Jaguars points. With one second left in the first half, first and goal, Trevor Lawrence pitched the ball to Travis Etienne who was stopped by a host of Texans defenders as the half came to an end.
The Jaguars possessed the ball five times in the first half, Trevor Lawrence scored on a quarterback sneak, his third rushing touchdown in two weeks. Also, Jaguars Kicker Brandon McManus connected on two field goals to complete the scoring in the first half. Lawrence had a career-high 219 yards passing in the first half.
As for the Texans, the dynamic rookie duo of CJ Stroud and Tank Dell hooked up from 7 yards out for the Texans' only score of the first half.
On the Jaguars’ opening possession of the second half, Lawrence’s pass intended for Evan Engram was intercepted by Derek Stingley Jr. Houston would take advantage of the turnover as Stroud would take it in from a yard out for the touchdown giving the Texans their first lead of the game 14-13.
The Jaguars would answer back as Lawrence found Calvin Ridley in the back of the endzone from a yard out for the touchdown, marking Ridley's second straight week to catch a touchdown pass. Doug Pederson would elect to go for the two-point conversion and the Jaguars would convert taking the lead 21-14 with 4:29 remaining in the third quarter.
Josh Allen's sack on CJ Stroud in the third quarter would put him past Yannick Ngakoue for 2nd all-time in sacks in Jaguars history. Allen finished the game with 2.5 sacks and has 12.5 for the year.
In the fourth quarter, the Texans refused to quit. Down by 10, Stroud threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Nico Collins bringing Houston within three, 24-21.
The Texans Matt Ammendola’s 58-yard field goal hit the crossbar as the Jaguars held on to win.
With the victory, Jacksonville improved to 8-3, while Houston fell to 6-5. The Jaguars now own a two-game lead over the Texans in the AFC South Division.
Lawrence finished the game 23/38, 364 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, completing passes to seven different receivers.
The Jaguars will be back home next week to host the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday, Dec. 4 at EverBank Field. Kickoff is scheduled for around 8 p.m.
