The Houston Texans reached halftime in London with a 17-14 lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the first 30 minutes offered a pretty clear split between the players driving the game and the ones leaving questions behind.
C.J. Stroud set the tone early and looked settled throughout the half.
He completed 66.6% of his passes, stayed decisive with the ball, avoided turnovers and found Foster Moreau twice for touchdowns. For Houston, that’s the kind of clean, efficient quarterback play that makes everything else feel a little easier.
Moreau was just as central to the opening act. The veteran tight end turned his red-zone chances into six points twice, with the second score coming in the final moments of the second quarter to send Houston into halftime with momentum on its side.
Henry To'oTo'o also made his presence felt right away in his first game back on the Texans’ defense since being activated from injured reserve. He finished the half with four total tackles, one tackle for loss and a pass break-up. His role matters even more now after Azeez Al-Shaair went to the locker room in the first half to be evaluated for a concussion.
One of the biggest swings of the half came from the Texans’ ball-hawking safety, who finally picked up his first forced turnover of the season in his sixth week. He intercepted Trevor Lawrence in the red zone, and that play kept Houston from potentially heading into the break down two scores.
There were also some rough edges. The Jaguars protected Lawrence well and did not allow a sack in the first half, which helped Jacksonville keep the offense moving from the start. That was a sharp contrast from the Texans’ previous meeting with Jacksonville in Week 10 of the 2025 season, when Houston’s edge pressure drove the game.
On the other side, Harrison Jr. was hard to find for long stretches. He did make a 14-yard in-route catch from Stroud that helped set up a field goal, but he otherwise stayed quiet. He didn’t play a snap in the first quarter and finished the half with just two targets.
Reed Blankenship had a difficult opening half, too. He was out of position on the game’s first defensive snap, then added a missed tackle on Bhayshul Tuten’s second touchdown of the half.
Blankenship also left in the second quarter by cart with an apparent injury, and if he can’t return, M.J. Stewart would be the next man up at strong safety.
In Other News...
Texans Special Teams Mistake Nearly Cost Them Before Halftime
Special teams often fade into the background until one decision changes the feel of a game, and the Texans were reminded of that in London. In a situation where eight seconds remained before halftime, the choice to put a kickoff into play against the Jaguars carried real risk because of how the clock, the timeouts and the field position could all work against a team in a hurry.
Cam Little also loomed as part of the calculation, with the potential for a long field goal attempt hanging over the end of the half. A single completed pass could have tied things up, which is exactly why the sequence stood out as the kind of special teams moment that can swing momentum without ever showing up in a conventional highlight reel. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Inactive List For London Includes One Surprise Fans Didn't Expect
The Texans Week 6 trip to London comes with a familiar kind of pregame churn, as both Houston and Jacksonville released their inactive lists ahead of the overseas matchup. Houston will be without seven players, including starters Jalen Pitre and David Montgomery, along with offensive tackle Braden Smith, who had just been activated but will not suit up for the game.
For a Texans team already managing injuries, the loss of Smith on top of those other absences adds another wrinkle to a week that has already been anything but routine. Jacksonville has its own issues to sort through, with starting left tackle Anton Harrison and cornerback Jaylon Jones among the Jaguars inactives, leaving both sides to adjust before kickoff in London. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Need Marvin Harrison Jr Fast And DeMeco Ryans Sees Something
The Texans spent the week adjusting to a major new addition, one that gives C.J. Stroud another high-end target as the offense looks to find more rhythm. Marvin Harrison Jr., acquired from the Cardinals in exchange for draft picks, has already drawn encouraging early reviews from DeMeco Ryans, who has seen the receiver settle in quickly and start building chemistry with his new quarterback.
Houston does not have long to wait to see how that translates on the field. Harrison is expected to make his Texans debut against the Jaguars in London, a game that offers an immediate chance to show how much the offense can change with him in the mix. For a team trying to sharpen its passing game, the early signs of that connection have become one of the more interesting storylines of the week. [Read more 🡒]