By John McClain
The Texans breathed a huge sigh of relief after escaping NRG Stadium on Sunday with a 24-20 victory over the Jaguars that elevated their record to 3-1, including 2-0 in the AFC South, and left Jacksonville winless.
Head Coach DeMeco Ryans knew his team was fortunate to win. The Texans were able to overcome a sloppy performance, including double digit penalties for a third consecutive game, by making enough big plays on both sides of the ball to put them in position to pull out a C.J. Stroud-orchestrated victory on their last possession.
“There’s no such thing as an ugly win to me,” Ryans said after the game. “Wins are hard to come by. It doesn’t matter who you play (or) how we win them, just finish with the win.”
The problems started when the Texans forced the Jaguars to punt on their first series. Steven Sims muffed the fair catch at his 10, and Jacksonville recovered the bouncing ball at the 2, setting up an easy touchdown for a quick 7-0 lead.
A botched punt return, a gimme touchdown, 12 penalties for 92 yards – the third consecutive game they’ve been whistled for at least 11 – and five consecutive punts in the second half would be enough to cause Ryans to pull out his hair if he had any.
But the Texans persevered during the tough times and rebounded from their 34-7 mauling at Minnesota to keep their one-game lead in the AFC Central over Indianapolis, a team they defeated 29-27 to start the season.
The Texans wouldn’t have won this game without outstanding performances by Stroud and wide receiver Nico Collins. But they also wouldn’t have won without terrific plays by rookie safety Calen Bullock, defensive tackles Foley Fatukasi and Mario Edwards and running back Dare Ogunbowale.
How did they manage to pull out this victory and extend Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s record of futility to 0-9 dating back to the Jaguars’ victory at NRG Stadium in November?
Let’s start with Bobby Slowik’s offense. It’s amazing what they can accomplish without penalties being called. Take the first and last touchdown drives, for instance.
Trailing 7-0, Stroud led a nine-play, 70-yard scoring drive that ended with Stefon Diggs’ 6-yard touchdown run. Down 20-17 with 2:54 left in the game, Stroud ignited a nine-play, 69-yard scoring drive that ended with his 1-yard touchdown pass to Ogunbowale, the unsung hero of Sunday’s victory.
No penalties were committed on the first and last touchdown drives. But the Texans showed they can still score when they commit penalties. In the second quarter, they overcame two penalties on a 12-play, 74-yard drive that ended with Stroud’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Collins.
With the running game struggling again without the injured Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce, especially on first down, Stroud was placed in too many obvious passing situations and was forced to throw on the run way too often. But he came through with an outstanding performance.
Stroud played his best game of the season. He completed 27-of-40 (67.5 percent) for 345 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. He averaged 8.6 yards per attempt, was sacked twice for 11 yards and knocked down six times. He finished with a 110.9 rating.
Most impressive? Stroud connected with his receivers for seven explosive plays of at least 20 yards. The Texans had only seven in the first three games.
Collins had another spectacular performance, catching 12 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown. He should have had two touchdowns. He was wide open in the back of the end zone, but Stroud overthrew him. Collins set a team record with 489 yards in the first four games of the season, shattering DeAndre Hopkins’ 443 in 2018.
When asked about the Stroud-Collins connection, Ryans said, “Nico’s open. That’s why the connection is strong. He’s also so competitive at the catch point. He’s a strong, physical, fast and big (6-4, 220) receiver. That’s an easy target for C.J., and Nico has showed up every time we’ve needed him.”
Collins and Diggs had two explosive plays each. Ogunbowale, who had a tremendous 31-yard catch and run, Dalton Schultz and Cade Stover had one explosive reception apiece.
“C.J. did a really nice job of going through his progressions,” Ryans said. “I thought our protection was better. He had a lot of time to make those reads. He had a lot of time to escape the pocket and make the plays he needed to make. He did a good job of keeping his eye downfield and finding the open receiver. Big day for him.”
John McClain, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, is in his 48th year of covering the NFL in Houston, including 45 seasons at the Houston Chronicle.
