The Texans kept their playoff hopes alive with a 27-13 win in Jacksonville on Sunday, after overcoming a 13-10 deficit at halftime.
"All I know is when you win in this league, it is an awesome feeling because it's very difficult to win in this league and I don't care who you are playing," head coach Bill O'Brien said. "It's an 8-8 league and right now we're one game above .500 and still in the hunt, so that's a good thing for our football team. I know our guys are very happy about that."
Three different Texans players added three rushing touchdowns: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Arian Foster, and Alfred Blue. Foster rushed for 127 yards on 24 carries, surpassing 1,000 yards on the season. Fitzpatrick was 13-of-19 for 135 yards with a rushing touchdown and 19 yards on 8 carries.
Andre Johnson suffered a helmet-to-helmet hit in the second quarter and headed to the locker room. Johnson, who had four catches for 17 yards, was evaluated for a concussion and did not return to the game. DeAndre Hopkins led the Texans receivers with four catches for 49 yards.
J.J Watt had three sacks for a loss of 17 yards and one pass defensed. Safety D.J. Swearinger intercepted Blake Bortles in the fourth quarter, which led to the Texans third touchdown of the day. Bortles was 20-of-39 on the day, for 205 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in his first meeting with the Texans.
The Jaguars scored first after Bortles threw a four-yard touchdown to Allen Hurns, taking a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter.
Randy Bullock's 44-yard field goal gave Houston its first points of the day. Houston's five-play, 54-yard scoring drive was extended after 51-yard run by Arian Foster, his longest of the season.
The Texans defense forced a three-and-out and Keshawn Martin returned the ensuing punt 21 yards. Houston, starting at its 48-yard line, took advantage of the field position. Fitzpatrick rushed for a 4-yard touchdown after a 7-play drive. The Texans took a 10-7 lead with 11:45 left in the second quarter.
Josh Scobee added two field goals in the second quarter, from 33 and 37 yards. The Jaguars took a 13-10 lead heading into halftime.
The Texans picked up momentum in the second half, scoring 17 unanswered points.
Houston's offense added two one-yard touchdowns, both on the ground. Rookie Alfred Blue scored the first rushing touchdown of his career in the third quarter. Foster scored the second touchdown of the half on fourth-and-goal.
"He's a heck of a running back, one of the best running backs in the league," O'Brien said. "He wanted the ball down there on fourth down, he told me 'I'm scoring,' so we went for it there."
The drive began with a Jaguars turnover. D.J. Swearinger picked off Bortles deep in Jacksonville territory, at the 32-yard line, and added a six-yard return to set up Houston's six-play, 26-yard drive. The Texans led Jacksonville 24-13 with 14:23 left in the game.
Bullock added his second field goal, a 44-yard kick to extend the Texans lead to two touchdowns.
The Texans improved to 7-6 on the season and face the Colts in Indianapolis in Week 15.
