Foster Moreau and Bhayshul Tuten have been the touchdown engines in a first half that has the Texans in front of the Jaguars, 17-14.
Tuten has crossed the goal line three times for Jacksonville, but only two of those scores have counted. Early on, a touchdown run was wiped out by a holding penalty, a call that loomed even larger when the Jaguars later came away empty after a Trevor Lawrence interception on the same drive.
He shook that off in the second quarter. Tuten turned two short Trevor Lawrence throws into scores, first slipping through Houston’s defense on a 27-yard touchdown and then finding himself uncovered on second-and-goal for an easy two-yard catch.
Houston has answered with a passing attack that has produced its own chunk gains. Jaylin Noel has been a problem for the Jaguars’ secondary with catches of 50 and 34 yards.
Nico Collins beat Travis Hunter for a 42-yard gain, then later drew a pass interference penalty on Hunter in the end zone that moved the Texans to first-and-goal at the 1-yard line. Marvin Harrison Jr. also picked up his first catch as a Texan, a 14-yard grab over the middle in the second quarter.
But the biggest red-zone difference-maker so far has been Moreau. The Texans tight end has two touchdown catches, one from six yards out and another from one yard out.
Houston is also dealing with a pair of defensive injury concerns. Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair is being evaluated for a concussion, and safety Reed Blankenship was carted to the locker room late in the second quarter.
The game has stayed tight and back-and-forth, with a real AFC South edge to every possession.
In Other News...
Texans Got The Win They Needed But One Concern Just Grew
The Texans got the kind of win they badly needed against Jacksonville, and the game looked a lot more like the sort of close, physical AFC South fight they have to win if they want to stay in the mix. Houston was evenly matched with the Jaguars on both sides of the ball, but there were signs of real progress too, especially in the run game, where the Texans turned in their best rushing performance of the season. The passing attack also showed more life, with Jaylin Noel, Nico Collins and Marvin Harrison Jr. all part of a better-looking afternoon through the air.
DeMeco Ryans also managed the game more cleanly, particularly late, when clock control and end-of-game decisions mattered most. Even with those encouraging signs, the bigger concern is hard to ignore: the defense does not look like the steady force it was in previous seasons. For a team trying to build momentum, the offenses gains are encouraging, but the Texans still have to prove the other side of the ball can hold up when the schedule starts demanding more. [Read more 🡒]
C.J. Stroud Just Got The Texans Weapon Fans Wanted
The Texans trip to London ended with a win over Jacksonville, giving Houston back-to-back victories and another reminder that the offense can look dangerous when it gets rolling. The bigger storyline for plenty of fans, though, was Marvin Harrison Jr. finally making his Texans debut after the trade from Arizona, putting him back alongside C.J. Stroud after their Ohio State days.
Harrisons first game in Houston came with immediate usefulness, as all three of his catches moved the chains for first downs and covered 34 yards. Stroud continued to drive the offense with 312 passing yards and three touchdowns, and the early chemistry between the quarterback and his new target is the kind of development the Texans have been waiting to see. [Read more 🡒]
Carnell Tate May Be Giving Titans Offense Exactly What It Needed
The Titans finally got a jolt of life with their first win of the season, and wide receiver Carnell Tate had a hand in the kind of play that can change a sidelines mood fast. Tate pointed to his consistent preparation as the reason he was ready when the opportunity came, turning a long-awaited touchdown into more than just a stat line and giving Tennessee a needed reminder that the work can still show up on game day.
For the Texans, news around the division has a little extra weight right now, especially with Jacksonville off to a 4-1 start and owner Shad Khan publicly upbeat about the direction there. Houston edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. has kept the focus on the Texans own energy and persistence despite long playoff odds, but a division in motion means every small spark elsewhere still matters, particularly when a rival like Tennessee suddenly looks a little harder to overlook. [Read more 🡒]