The Houston Texans picked up their first win of the season on Sunday by shutting down the Jacksonville Jaguars. With the win, Houston jumped to No. 3 in the AFC South, knocking Jacksonville down to No. 4 due to virtue of the head-to-head tiebreaker.
First Half
Jacksonville opened the game with the ball but punted after just a couple of minutes. The Texans’ first drive also resulted in the punt, as did the Jaguars’ second drive. The scoreless tie was finally broken on Houston’s second drive as Ka’imi Fairbairn connected on a 36-yard field goal early in the second quarter.
Gardner Minshew and the Jaguars responded with a touchdown strike to Keelan Cole to take the lead, but it was short-lived as Houston answered with a score of their own. Deshaun Watson weaved a pass through busted coverage into the hands of Jordan Akins for 44 yards and six points. Jacksonville drove 69 yards on their next drive but could not score as Stephen Hauschka missed a 31-yard field goal. Watson was intercepted by Sidney Jones, giving the ball back to Jacksonville, but Hauschka missed again, this time from 49 yards out. This miss sent the two teams to halftime as the Texans held a 10-7 lead.
Second Half
Fairbairn hit a 33-yard field goal to open the second half, giving Houston a six-point lead. Jacksonville went three-and-out but got the football back on a Jarrod Wilson interception. However, Jacksonville’s drive stalled in the end zone and came to an end when James Robinson took a direct snap and fumbled during his run. Houston then drove 90 yards in four minutes as Watson capped off the drive with a 19-yard touchdown strike to Will Fuller.
Despite being down by 13, Jacksonville answered as Minshew orchestrated a 75-yard drive that finished with Collin Johnson hauling in a four-yard touchdown pass. The Texans got the ball back to go up by two scores, giving Jacksonville limited time to come back. Their effort was thwarted as Minshew fumbled. Houston sealed the deal with a touchdown from Watson to Brandin Cooks to go up by 16 points. The Jaguars were unsuccessful in their next three minutes of offense, giving the ball back to the Texans for victory formation.
In the end, interim head coach Romeo Crennel picked up the 30-16 victory over the Jaguars, who have gone 0-4 since their Week 1 win.
Stats
For the Texans, David Johnson finished with 107 scrimmage yards on 17 rushes and one reception. Watson completed 25 passes for 359 yards and three touchdowns, though he was attacked for two interceptions and one sack. Brandin Cooks hauled in eight of 12 targets for 161 yards and one touchdown while Will Fuller caught four passes for 58 yards and a touchdown. Randall Cobb held on to all six targets, finishing with 47 yards. Darren Fells also added one touchdown on two catches during the absence of Jordan Akins (concussion). Defensively, the Texans forced their first turnover of the year as Whitney Mercilus forced and recovered a fumble in the quarter. They added a second fumble recovery in the waning minutes of the game as Jacob Martin knocked the ball loose and J.J. Watt scooped it up.
Meanwhile, Jacksonville’s running game was quiet as James Robinson rushed 13 times for just 48 yards. Minshew completed 31 passes for 301 yards and two touchdowns. He was sacked thrice and fumbled once but did not throw any interceptions. Laviska Shenault led the way in the receiving game with seven catches for 79 yards. Jarrod Wilson and Sidney Jones each recorded one interception apiece in the loss.
Up Next
The Jaguars will host the Lions next week as Detroit is fresh off its bye. Meanwhile, Romeo Crennel will look to improve to 2-0 as interim head coach as the Texans travel to Tennessee for a battle with the Titans.
Highlights
.@DeshaunWatson ⤵
@DarrenFells ⤵
TOUCHDOWN!📺: CBS
📱: https://t.co/Nm64mQkAPf pic.twitter.com/uUyt2g5cuF— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) October 11, 2020
#Texans ball!
📺: CBS
📱: https://t.co/Nm64mQkAPf pic.twitter.com/z3aKitcuNV— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) October 11, 2020
Keep 'em coming!
📺: CBS
📱: https://t.co/Nm64mQkAPf pic.twitter.com/hV9gCEUlWU— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) October 11, 2020
.@BrandinCooks is BALLIN' today!
📺: CBS
📱: https://t.co/Nm64mQkAPf pic.twitter.com/kXQC10O0HT— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) October 11, 2020
#ToeDragSwag for the lead 👀@Air4Cole | #DUUUVAL
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/nY1Y9CRddI— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) October 11, 2020
First pick as a Jaguar for @SidneyJonesIV
📺: CBS | #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/Bwi1LGbdah
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) October 11, 2020
WELCOME BACK JARROD WILSON!
📺: cbs | #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/kufi7zrQAW
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) October 11, 2020
'Johnson Space Center' with the TD 🚀@Call_In_Johnson | #DUUUVAL
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/vy3iCg9q2p— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) October 11, 2020
DEEP to @FlightConley
51-yard pass to Conley from @GardnerMinshew5
📺: CBS | #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/nhOS2dsidu— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) October 11, 2020
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