HOUSTON, Texas – Senior writer John Oehser examines five key plays from the Jaguars’ 24-21 victory over the Houston Texans in a 2023 Week 12 game at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, Sunday
1. Boink. Sunday’s “keyest” play was essentially the last play – and it was a play over which the Jaguars had no control. Texans’ kicker Matt Ammendola’s 58-yard field-goal attempt bounced off the crossbar back into the field with :29 remaining, with Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence kneeling the clock to :00 on the ensuing play. Lawrence said he watched the final kick, calling it “stressful” and adding: “It looked short, and he hit it real high and then it just kept going. It’s crazy.” Added Jaguars Head Coach Doug Pederson, “When he hit it, I wasn’t sure if it was going to make it or not. I guess I’m just glad it didn’t.” Two key plays on the drive: An early-drive sack by outside linebacker Josh Allen for a 15-yard loss and Allen/outside linebacker Travon Walker combining for a nine-yard sack three plays before Ammendola’s attempt. “If you let ’em, get some yards there and they’re kicking a 50-yarder, that’s a big difference,” Lawrence said. “That won us the game and our defense really stepped up.”
5a. Early converting. They came early, but two first-drive third-down conversions felt important in a hostile situation for the Jaguars. The Jaguars, after forcing a Texans punt on the game’s first possession, took possession at their 13. Lawrence on the ensuing drive twice converted third downs – on a 10-yard pass to Jones on third-and-six from the Jaguars 44 and an 18-yard pass to Kirk on third-and-11 from the Texans 47. The drive stalled at the Houston 22, with kicker Brandon McManus converting a 40-yard field goal for a 3-0 Jaguars lead with 5:54 remaining in the first quarter.
5b. Rambling, rumbling. After the Texans cut the lead to 10-7, the Jaguars pushed the lead to six largely because of a big play from an expected source. Lawrence on first-and-15 from the Jaguars 20 threw to a wide-open tight end Luke Farrell. The third-year veteran ran free down the right sideline then carried multiple Texans defenders to the Texans 38 for a 42-yard gain. McManus’ 48-yard field goal capped the drive and gave the Jaguars a 13-7 lead with 2:24 remaining in the half.
5c. Quick pick – and six. After a first half in which neither team committed a turnover, the Jaguars committed the game’s first when cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. intercepted a pass by Lawrence intended for tight end Evan Engram. The Texans then drove 46 yards, with quarterback C.J. Stroud’s one-yard run on third-and-goal giving Houston its first lead, 14-13, with 8:10 remaining in the third quarter.