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.

The Texans bounced back from their 32-27 home loss to the Titans to escape Jacksonville with a victory that gave them a 3-4 record over their last seven games. They haven't lost a road game in the AFC South since the 2021 season, and they have one left at Tennessee in the last game of regular season.

The visitors had some alarming moments in the fourth quarter before beating the Jaguars 23-20 and leaving Jacksonville with an 8-5 record and their seven-game winning streak at EverBank Stadium intact.

Head Coach DeMeco Ryans is giving his players a lengthy holiday because this is their bye week. When they return, they play a brutal schedule with three games in 10 days – at home against Miami, a Saturday game at Kansas City and a home game against Baltimore on Christmas Day.

"It's a big win for us, and now we need a break," Ryans said. "Our guys have been going for 13 straight weeks. Our guys are gassed, and our bye week is coming at the perfect time for us.

"I'm proud of the way our guys played complementary football today. That's been a struggle for us in the games we've dropped, so seeing everybody step up and make a play when the other side wasn't doing so well, everybody played together. That's what's most impressive about this win."

Early in the fourth quarter, it appeared to be smooth sailing for the Texans when they built a 23-6 lead after quarterback C.J. Stroud's 22-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dalton Schultz. The Jaguars responded with a pair of touchdown passes and a two-point conversion pass from backup quarterback Mac Jones to pull within three points with 3:31 left in the game.

The red-hot Jones wanted to get the ball back one more time for a tying field goal or a game-winning touchdown, but Joe Mixon and his offensive linemen made sure they didn't get that opportunity.

Mixon had an 8-yard run for a first down. After Jaguars Head Coach Doug Pederson used his last two timeouts, Mixon had a 4-yard run for a first down that allowed the Texans to run out the block and maintain their AFC South lead over the Colts (6-7).

In a physical game that saw players from both teams make multiple trips into the medical tent, Mixon ran 20 times for 101 yards and an 8-yard touchdown. He's the first player since 1970 to rush for at least 100 yards and a touchdown in six consecutive road games. He also has an NFL-best seven 100-yard games this season.

"Joe's an old-school running back," Ryans said. "You talk about a guy who plays with the relentless mindset, the tenacity that you need. He's the guy that wants it 30 times and keeps getting better the more touches he gets."

At one point in the second half, Mixon limped off the field but returned shortly to play even better.

"Really proud of him to know he's hurting and still pushing through, still churning out yards when they're loading the box and (he) finds a way to get yards," Ryans said. "It's really impressive by our O-line. I thought our tight ends – can't say enough about the way they blocked today as well."

Stroud finished with 22-of-34 (64.7 percent) for 242 yards and a touchdown without an interception. His rating was 95.5, his best over the last five games.

For the first time since Oct. 13, the Texans' offense scored two second-half touchdowns after totaling one in the previous six games. Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik can finally breathe a sigh of relief because of the two second-half touchdowns.

"Those two scoring drives were big," Stroud said. "We put some really good drives together in the first half, just couldn't finish it. That's something we've got to get better at, scoring (touchdowns) when we've got these good drives. We get a turnover by the defense, we've got to be able to generate seven, not three."

Ka'imi Fairbairn kicked three field goals of 28, 30 and 53 yards, the latter extending his NFL record to thirteen 50-plus yard field goals in a single season.

"Ultimately, I thought we handled everything well," Stroud said. "They switched up a lot of things they were doing on film – did a lot of different coverages and different looks, ran a little bit of man coverage, but I thought we handled it really well."

And penalties weren't an issue, either. After getting whistled 20 times in the last two games, they were flagged three times for 15 yards, including once in the second half.

Once again, Stroud's go-to receiver was Nico Collins, who caught eight passes for 119 yards. Schultz added five receptions for 61 yards and his first touchdown of the season.

The Texans' offensive line deserves a lot of credit for its performance. Stroud was sacked two times, once when he held the ball too long.

The offensive line provided solid pass protection after a shaky start. Stroud was knocked down only three times. The run blocking started slowly but picked up in the second half and then helped the Texans secure the victory.

"They're our everything," Stroud said about his linemen. "It starts up front. When they have great protection from the start, it gives me a sense of confidence. The receivers (know) they can run the full depth (on routes). The backs know where to hit.

"They've done a good job of handling all the noise and the media and all these things. That's part of business we're in. I think they've done a great job at just keeping their heads down and working."

Ryans had a surprise for the offensive linemen after the game.

"I thought the pass protection was great," Ryans said. "We challenge them to step up and give CJ time, and when you give him time, he can make great decisions with the football.

"I'm really proud of our offensive line. They got the game ball today, and they deserved it for the way they protected him."

The Jaguars entered the game with a 2-8 record and last in the NFL in defense (413.7 yards a game) and against the pass (278.3). They were 30^th in offense (290.8), including 25^th in rushing (101.6) and 27^th in passing (189.2).

Jones, who completed 20-of-23 for 235 yards and two touchdowns with a 105.6 rating, was in the lineup after Trevor Lawrence was knocked out of the game with a concussion after being hit by linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. Lawrence was into his slide at the end of a run, and the officials ruled Al-Shaair hit him in the head area. He was ejected and replaced by Neville Hewitt.

"It's unfortunate with the hit, with Azeez," Ryans said. "It's not what we're coaching. That's not what we're about. (You) want to be smart in everything we do and not hurt the team, get a penalty there. Have to be smarter when the quarterback is going down. I'll talk to Azeez, address him personally, and we'll move forward from it.

"(An) unfortunate play, not representative of who Azeez is. He's a smart player, a great leader for us. We felt his presence not being there. His loss really affected us on the defensive side."

Lawrence, who missed the previous two games with a left shoulder injury, had to be carted off. He was 4-of-10 (40 percent) for 41 yards and a 12.9 rating before getting injured. He also was intercepted by cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. – the game's only turnover.

Fortunately for the Texans, the Jaguars didn't try to retaliate against Stroud.

"I want to say prayers to Trevor," Stroud said. "I really hope and pray he's okay. Prayers to his family as well.

"(We're) still rocking with Azeez. I don't think that was his intent, and I pray that Trevor is okay and his family is right there with him."