What a wild day at NRG Stadium. The old saying "it's a game of inches" couldn't have been any more true as a 58-yard game tying FG attempt hit the crossbar and fell to the turf no good in a 24-21 loss to the AFC South division leading Jacksonville Jaguars. Six inches more on the kick and it narrowly gets over the crossbar, moving the game to overtime. Alas, it fell to the turf…with the Jaguars about to fly him with their eighth win of the season. The game was full of big plays, so let's take a look at a few of them.
2nd Quarter - Texans ball
6:57 remaining
+7 yard line
2nd and goal
Jaguars ahead 10-0
The Texans came out in a trips set to the field/right side of the formation with a lone TE Dalton Schultz to the left side of the formation. WR Tank Dell motioned to the left side and ran a hard flat route to the pylon and RB Devin Singletary ran a Texas route across the formation. The Jaguars dropped eight into coverage making any throw difficult. So, QB C.J. Stroud dropped to throw and had all day in the pocket. WR Nico Collins looked to be open, but Stroud was shielded from seeing him and started to scramble to the right side. Then, he spun out of a potential sack attempt back the other way, now to his left. As he did, Dell worked back from the pylon to the middle of the field. It was there that Stroud found him and dotted him in the end zone. Dell made the catch as he took a vicious hit…but held on for the Texans' first TD of the game.
2nd Quarter - Jaguars ball
0:01 remaining
+1 yard line
1st and goal
Jaguars ahead 13-7
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence had just thrown his prettiest pass of the day to WR Christian Kirk who ran the ball down to the Texans one yard line with just one second left on the clock. The Jaguars decided to try to put the dagger in the Texans before the half after that long Kirk catch-and run going for the touchdown, eschewing the field goal attempt. Earlier in the game, Lawrence dove over the top for the Jaguars one touchdown in the first half. With that fresh on the mind of both teams, the Jaguars came out in shotgun and a HEAVY overload to the right side of the formation. After starting in the shotgun, Lawrence ran up under center and the Texans braced for Lawrence to dive over the top again. But, Lawrence pitched quickly to Jaguars RB Travis Etienne to the right side of the formation. They pulled an OL in front of Etienne and there was only one Texan available against that OL - Jalen Pitre. The Texans safety ran HARD upfield to cut off Etienne's outside path, fighting through the block in the process. The Jaguars RB had to cut back inside where DB Desmond King II, just recently back with the Texans, stormed toward Etienne. The two bulls met at the one yard line in a stalemate and some teammates came to help to keep Etienne out of the end zone. MAN! The NRG Stadium crowd went absolutely bonkers as Pitre, King and company kept the Jaguars off the scoreboard.
4th Quarter - Texans ball
6:57 remaining
-45 yard line
2nd and ten
Jaguars ahead 24-14
Jaguars K Brandon McManus missed a long field goal attempt about midway through the fourth quarter, which put the Texans back in business with great field position. The Texans came out on second down on the ensuing drive with 11 personnel. TE Brevin Jordan was attached at the Y spot on the left side with Robert Woods and Tank Dell out to the left side as well. Rookie WR Xavier Hutchinson was the lone WR on the left side until RB Dameon Pierce motioned out that way as well, leaving C.J. Stroud in empty. Hutchinson flew up the field on a post route against the Jaguars cover three. Jaguars S Rayshawn Jenkins was supposed to be in the middle of the field, but he didn't get all the way over to the middle of the field from his disguised spot on the right side of the defensive formation. As such, there was a massive gap where Jenkins should have been, exactly where Hutchinson ran his post route. C.J. Stroud saw it immediately and threw a DART to Hutchinson before Jenkins could get over to make a play on the ball. Hutchinson snagged the pass for an enormous 34-yard gain…and the Texans had plenty of life left.
