Texans vs. Jaguars Notebook: Houston Shines in All Three Phases
The Houston Texans dominated the Jacksonville Jaguars 37-17 on Sunday afternoon.
The two of them have very different expectations heading into the regular season, but the AFC South divisional rivals shared the same objective of wanting a Week 3 win.
So, following the Texans' third game of this season, here's what we learned:
1. Texans Offense Good, Defense/Special Teams Great in First Half
The Texans started off Sunday's game with a quick three-and-out, which was the last thing they needed as heavy underdogs.
However, Houston's defense and special teams gave the offense more momentum throughout the first half. Shortly after a missed field goal by Jaguars kicker Brandon McManus, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud launched the ball 63 yards to fellow rookie Tank Dell, who went down near the goal line. Running back Dameon Pierce would follow it up with an easy one-yard score.
The Houston defense forced another punt after six plays of the Jaguars' next drive, but the Texans offense would quickly do the same.
Jacksonville drove down the field on 11 plays of their next possession, but it would be all for none after rookie edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. recorded his first career blocked field goal, which kept the Jaguars point total at zero.
Stroud and the offense rode the defense's momentum, as a 17-yard catch followed by an 11-yard scramble by the quarterback led to a three-yard touchdown catch from tight end Brevin Jordan to go up 14-0.
Both teams punted on their next respective drives, but Texans safety Eric Murray (with help from linebacker Henry To'oTo'o) forced Jaguars receiver Jamal Agnew to fumble the ball and linebacker Blake Cashman recovered with 1:13 remaining in the first half.
Stroud couldn't have orchestrated a better one-minute drill as he was calm and poised when finding Woods for 14 yards and then fellow receiver Nico Collins for 26 (several yards after catch). The offensive line played a pivotal role in the first half as they allowed zero sacks against a strong Jaguars defense.
Texans kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn closed the half with an easy 28-yard field goal to make it a shocking 17-0 score.
2. Quick Answers Headlined Third Quarter
Jaguars coach Doug Pederson must've delivered quite the halftime speech, as running back Travis Etienne had numerous long gains on the first possession to immediately put Jacksonville in field goal range. Houston would get a couple of short stops, but a pass interference in the endzone by Jimmie Ward led to an easy run-in to make it 17-7.
The Jaguars went on to force a punt by Houston and took advantage once again. Tight end Evan Engram was left wide open on a 28-yard drag route, which led to a 33-yard field goal.
However, perhaps the craziest moment of the entire week around the NFL occurred on the very next play, as fullback Andrew Beck stepped in front of the kick returner, muffed it, picked it up and ran 85 yards for a score.
Jacksonville couldn't continue the third quarter's quick answer trend as Cashman dove for an interception on the next drive. Fairbairn would eventually convert a 26-yard field goal.
3. Texans Defense Ends on a Strong Note
The Jaguars drove 75 yards on six plays and opened their fourth quarter possession with a 26-yard touchdown grab by receiver Christian Kirk. However, that would be the end to their comeback effort.
On the third play of the Texans' next drive, Stroud connected with Dell once again, but this time for a wide-open 68-yard touchdown. Dell finished the game with five receptions (seven targets) for a whopping 145 yards (led Houston in both categories).
Stroud completed 20-of-30 attempts for 280 yards and two touchdowns. The 21-year-old became the first rookie in NFL history to not throw an interception in his first three games (minimum of 80 pass attempts).
The Houston defense took care of the rest by forcing a turnover on downs after a pass breakup from To'oTo'o with about two minutes left in the game. Lawrence faced a lot of pressure on third down, which led to a long intentional grounding penalty.
