CJ Stroud and the Texans spent Sunday in London trading punches with Jacksonville, and when the dust settled it was Ka'imi Fairbairn who delivered the final blow.
Fairbairn drilled a 49-yard field goal as time expired, lifting Houston to a 34-31 win over the Jaguars after Stroud set up the finish with a 312-yard, three-touchdown outing. The Texans improved to 2-4, while Jacksonville’s three-game winning streak came to an end at 4-2.
Stroud finished 24 of 34 with one interception, and his favorite target in the red zone was Foster Moreau, who caught two passes and turned both into touchdowns. Jaylin Noel also had a big day, going for a career-high 107 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Jacksonville had plenty of firepower of its own. Trevor Lawrence went 24 of 41 for 306 yards, four touchdowns and one interception, while Bhayshul Tuten chipped in 39 rushing yards and added two touchdown catches among his four receptions for 48 yards.
The game swung late in the fourth quarter with Houston clinging to a 31-28 lead and moving toward what looked like a decisive score. Instead, Travis Hunter Jr. stepped in front of a pass in the end zone and picked it off. Hunter had already caught a touchdown earlier in the game, making him the first NFL player since Brian Dawkins in 2002 with a TD catch and interception in the same game.
That turnover gave Cam Little a shot from 60 yards, and he tied the game with 1:55 remaining. Houston still had enough left for one last march, with Stroud hitting Woody Marks for 19 yards to get past midfield and set Fairbairn up for the winner.
Houston struck first when Stroud hit Moreau on a 6-yard touchdown pass with 5:13 left in the opening quarter. Jacksonville answered after missing on a few chances, tying it at 7-7 on Lawrence’s 27-yard touchdown toss to Tuten with 6:47 left in the first half.
Fairbairn pushed the Texans back in front with a 25-yard field goal at 4:16 in the second quarter, but Jacksonville closed the half with a burst. Lawrence found Tuten again on a 2-yard touchdown with 55 seconds left to put the Jaguars ahead 14-10.
Houston wasted no time flipping it back. Stroud hit Noel for 50 yards to start the next drive, and Moreau finished it with a 1-yard touchdown catch with eight seconds left to send the Texans into halftime with a 17-14 lead.
The second half kept the pressure on both defenses. Noel opened the third quarter with a 13-yard touchdown catch to stretch Houston’s edge to 24-14, but Jacksonville answered when Lawrence found rookie tight end Nate Boerkircher for his first career touchdown, trimming the margin to 24-21 with 2:34 left in the third.
The Texans went back up by two scores on Jawhar Jordan’s 25-yard touchdown run, only for Jacksonville to respond again. Lawrence connected with Hunter on a 7-yard touchdown pass to make it 31-28, setting up the tense finish that eventually belonged to Fairbairn.
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Jaguars Still Lead The South But This Loss Exposed A Bigger Problem
The Jaguars still sit atop the AFC South, but the narrow Week 6 loss to Houston felt bigger than a one-game setback. Jacksonville got a spark from Travis Hunter, who made his presence felt on both sides of the ball with a touchdown catch and an interception, yet it still wasnt enough to offset a Texans team that kept finding answers all afternoon.
Houston piled up more than 400 yards and ultimately won it with a last-second field goal, exposing how much pressure the Jaguars are under to clean up their defensive play. In a division race where every slip can matter later, Jacksonville can point to the standings for comfort, but the performance against the Texans offered a reminder that leading the South does not mean the roster is playing like a finished product. [Read more 🡒]
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Around the league, there is already speculation that Thomas could become a name to watch if Jacksonville ever decides to listen on a potential move. The Kansas City Chiefs are reportedly looking at receiver help because of injuries, which has added another layer to the chatter, but the Jaguars are still dealing with a more immediate issue at home: how to get a once-central piece of their offense back into the mix without disrupting the rest of the group. [Read more 🡒]
Marvin Harrison Jr. Gives Texans Fans A Reason To Watch Sunday Closely
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Harrison also reunites with quarterback C.J. Stroud, his former Ohio State teammate, which gives the Texans another storyline to monitor beyond the usual international-game backdrop. Kickoff is set for Sunday, Oct. 18, at 9:30 a.m. ET on NFL Network, and while Jacksonville has its own business to handle, there will be plenty of eyes on how quickly Houston can fold its newest playmaker into the offense. [Read more 🡒]