Finally, the Texans get a big time stop and win a close game! The last time the Texans played in London at Wembley Stadium, they defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 26-3 in November to improve to 6-3 on the 2019 season. This year, the Texans would kill to have a record like that and be in such a position, but, even though this game was much, much closer and featured a 1-4 Texans squad clinging to their playoff hopes against a great 4-1 Jaguars team, the Texans hopes of making a comeback were not completely
gone just yet, and a big win here in London could be the impetus to a late-season surge, not dissimilar from what they experience in 2025. If they could just win this game, a lot of the missteps from September could be forgotten. Well, knowing the Texans, they weren’t going to make it easy, and this one would go back and forth and feature mistakes by the Texans on defense all over the field, multiple missed tackles, and poor coverage on special teams. But, one thing the Texans can leave this game with that they can be proud of is that they have a MVP-caliber quarterback in CJ Stroud:
Texans QB CJ Stroud opened the game up on the same hot streak he’s been on all season, and it continued for…nearly the entire game! He got huge completions out of Nico Collins and a touchdown grab from Foster Moreau to end the first quarter, but the Jaguars offense – led by QB Trevor Lawrence, RB Bhayshul Tuten, and WRs Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers – were able to march up and down the chewed up Wembley Stadium pitch all game long. On their third drive, the Jaguars were able to pound the ball into the red zone, but Lawrence would throw an interception in the end zone to Calen Bullock!
You may have hoped that this interception have been a sign that the defense was finally turning the page on what has been a rough star to the season, but…nope! Just like the Bills game and Cowboys game, the Texans defense rarely pressured the quarterback and repeatedly missed tackles on the Jags tailbacks Tuten and Chris Rodriguez Jr. and CB/WR Travis Hunter. Fortunately, Stroud would continue to play well the entire first half, finding TE Dalton Schultz, Jaylin Noel, and recent trade acquisition Marvin Harrison Jr. for big completions. The game went back and forth in the second quarter, with Jacksonville taking a 17-14 lead following a two-yard touchdown reception by Tuten:
Stroud would NOT be one-upped by Lawrence before the half was over, though. On Houston’s following drive, they would go 63 yards on three plays, highlighted by amazing, 50-yard pass to Jaylin Noel and then one of the best touchdown receptions you’ll ever see from Foster Moreau for Houston to regain the lead at halftime:
Following halftime, the Texans would receive the ball and obtain the ever-elusive “double dip,” or, scoring a touchdown at the end of the first half and then scoring again right at the beginning of the second half. Stroud would get more action out of Noel and Harrison on this drive, but also be complemented by the first adequate rushed by Woody Marks and Jawhar Jordan, who was filling in for an injured David Montgomery. Now, with a 24-14 lead following an impressive touchdown reception to Noel, the Texans looked in control of the game, even if their defense still couldn’t stop a nosebleed.
After this drive, the Texans defense actually forces their second (and last) punt of the game against the Jaguars, but the Texans offense can’t capitalize, and sends the ball back Jacksonville’s way after a disappointing five-play drive that ended in a Kai Kroeger punt. Jacksonville’s responded to the gift Houston had bestowed upon them with another touchdown drive. Jags’ WR Jakobi Meyers tore up Texans LB Hentry To’oTo’o and Calen Bullock, and then Jags’ rookie TE Nate Boerkircher challenges Foster Moreau’s fantastic touchdown catch with an impressive one of his one against Texans S M.J. Stewart, making the game 24-21 Texans:
The highlights just don’t stop coming in this game! Now, you start to get the feeling that neither team’s defense is going to be able to stop all of these highlights from the quarterbacks and pass catchers, and the game seems like it’s going to be determined by who has the ball last. So, of course, Houston follows Jacksonville’s touchdown drive with another quick, five-play touchdown drive of their own, highlighted by a defensive pass interference penalty on Jags’ CB Jarrian Jones trying to cover WR Nico Collins, followed by a brilliant cut-back run by RB Jawhar Jordan:
This game is really starting to go crazy now, and the Texans are just looking for somewhere to land the plane! Can’t do it yet, cuz now the Jaguars are unleashing CB/WR Travis Hunter on the offensive side of the ball, and he makes LBs To’oTo’o and Azeez Al-Shaair (who briefly left the game to enter the concussion protocol, then returned in the third quarter) look silly on this reception and following touchdown grab:
Now, it’s 31-28 Houston, and you get the feeling the Texans need to end this game by getting a touchdown on this upcoming drive with 11:26 remaining in the fourth quarter. And, for the first time this season, the Texans are actually able to run the ball well? Woody Marks and Jawhar Jordan march the Texan downfield, with Marks becoming the first RB to eclipse the 40-yards rushing mark against this Jaguars defense, but is it all wiped away by CJ Stroud’s first big mistake: an interception in the end zone, thrown right to Travis Hunter:
Now, after arguably his best game of his career, CJ Stroud is in danger of losing this game because of this mistake! Houston’s defense, who have been terrible all game long, now need to either force a stop or at least a field goal, and they get just that! Finally, the defense comes up big when they are needed, and force Lawrence into two straight incompletions targeting his favorite receivers, and they then fail to convert a 3rd & 10 at midfield with a 6 yard pass to TE Breton Strange. Instead of going for it, the Jaguars decided to test their big-legged kicker, Cam Little, with a 60-yard field goal…and, of course, he hits it:
Now, all tied up and with 1:55 left in the game, the Texans and CJ Stroud have a chance to redeem themselves with a game-winning field goal drive. A big dump-off pass to Woody Marks that goes for 19 yards sets the Texans up in field goal range, where they are able to chew the clock and come away with a game-winning 49-yard field goal by Ka’imi Fairbairn!
Game balls should go to CJ Stroud for playing absolutely out of his mind (except for the interception) and to WR Jaylin Noel for his first 100-yard receiving game of his career. Additionally, game balls should be handed to Woody Marks for setting up that game winning field goal, and, of course, to Fairbairn for making them. The Texans have now won two in a row and improve to 2-4 on the season, which is not an incredible record, but one they can stand to come back from!
What do you think of this game? Was this the most entertaining Texans game of the season thus far? Are the Texans finally BACK??? Let us know down in the comments below!
Go Texans!
