Week 3: Jaguars 17, Houston Texans 10
Site: EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville
What happened: Thomas Jr.’s long catch-and-run reception on a pretty pass from Lawrence set up the game-winning score and the Jaguars’ defense made the key late stop. Safety Antonio Johnson intercepted Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud at the Jaguars 4 with :20 remaining to end the game, with defensive end Josh Hines-Allen pressuring Stroud into a wobbling pass. The Jaguars forced three turnovers for a third consecutive game.
Key play: With 2:00 remaining and the score tied 10-10, Lawrence on first-and-10 from the Jaguars 44 checked out of a run play, then hit Thomas crossing over the middle. Thomas, after struggling with drops earlier in the game, caught the pass on the run and turned the play into a 46-yard gain to the Texans 10. “I just had to keep fighting,” Thomas said. “My teammates had my back the whole game. Everything is not going to go your way the whole time. You keep fighting, and that’s what happens when you keep fighting.”
Notable: The victory was the first for the Jaguars over the Texans in Jacksonville since 2017. The Texans swept the Jaguars in 2024.
Quoting defensive end Josh Hines-Allen: “We knew this was going to be a ‘take-it’ game. We battled our butts off today. We knew we were going to have to take it.”
Quoting Lawrence: “It means a lot. I don’t think it’s a secret that we don’t like each other. It was a fun game for us to find a way to do it. It felt good.”
Tracking the South: Indianapolis Colts (3-0), Jaguars (2-1), Houston Texans (0-3), Tennessee Titans (0-3).