Sunday was the first appearance for the Texans in London, and it was memorable, with a 26-3 decision in their favor.
After a clean first half, play between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans got very sloppy in the second half. Jacksonville botched a field goal try on their first possession of the second half, which turned out to be foreshadowing of what was to come. The Jaguars had three consecutive turnovers in the fourth quarter, which allowed Houston to extend its lead. The Texans were not immune to mistakes, either. Running back Carlos Hyde was way downfield on a long run when Jarrod Wilson knocked it out of his hands at the 1-yard line. The Jaguars recovered in the end zone.
Bill O'Brien's team minimally keeps pace with Indianapolis (depending on who wins Colts-Steelers today) within the AFC South while Jacksonville falls below .500 in the division.
Houston controlled things on the ground while playing a cleaner football game. The Texans rushed for 216 yards on 34 attempts (6.4 yards per carry) Sunday. With run production like that, teams do not need to pass the ball. Quarterback Deshaun Watson had just 194 passing yards, but play designs by O'Brien were effective because they had multiple options.
Jacksonville, comparatively, ran the ball well but were not as committed. They rushed for 74 yards on 19 carries (4.5 yards per carry).
To this point in the season, rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew II had been fairly secure with the football. Coming into the game, he had thrown two interceptions in eight games. He doubled that total with two additional interceptions against a banged-up Houston secondary. Minshew also lost two more fumbles, which has been a problem for the Washington State product. He had already fumbled seven times this season.
At halftime, Jacksonville was facing a 9-3 deficit. On the first possession of the second half, they attempted a field goal try but the snap was high and it took too long for the snap to get down so kicker Josh Lambo initiated a fire drill. Instead of three potential points, the team was left with nothing. Houston scored 10 points on their next two drives to essentially put the game out of reach. The Jaguars did not score during the second half.
Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson pulled a couple of rabbits out of the hat during Sunday's game against the Jaguars. On this particular play, he was in the grasp of Yannick Ngakoue when he somehow managed to distributed the ball to running back Carlos Hyde.
On another play, Watson's knee was nearly down before getting rid of the football. He turned a few probable sacks into positive yardage.
Houston improves to 5-3 with Sunday's win. They are a half-game back of the Indianapolis Colts, who play the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 1 p.m. ET slate of games. The Texans enter the bye week with an away game against the Baltimore Ravens awaiting them upon return.
Jacksonville, meanwhile, enters their bye week as well. The franchise faces a decision between marketing darling Gardner Minshew II and veteran Nick Foles at the quarterback position. Their next game comes on the road against the Indianapolis Colts. The Jaguars are the only team under .500 within the AFC South pending the outcome of Tennessee's Week 9 road game against the Carolina Panthers.
Final score from Wembley Stadium: Houston 26, Jacksonville 3. Today was the final NFL game in London this season. Houston gets a victory in their first London appearance. There is one final international NFL game this season being played in Mexico.
Thank you to everyone for tuning into today's live blog experience! Enjoy the rest of your NFL Sunday!
Shameless plug: each of these teams have some promising rookie talent. CBS Sports released the latest rookie power rankings earlier this week. Two Jaguars made the list while Texans tackle Tytus Howard was trending up before his injury. With continued solid play, he will find his way onto the list as well. Check out the full list: https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/...
The wheels have fallen off a bit for Jacksonville. Their last three possessions have resulted in two interceptions and a lost fumble. The previous drive was a turnover on downs. They did not turn the ball over once in the first half. The Jaguars were tied at No. 7 for the least giveaways in the NFL entering today's game. They had turned the ball over just eight times in their previous eight games; an average of one giveaway per game.
Fans attending today's game at Wembley Stadium between the Jaguars and Texans better have brought an appetite.
The Texans have lost Jadeveon Clowney and J.J. Watt from last year's squad.
A subdued atmosphere in Wembley Stadium for that recent Texans touchdown.
The Texans tight end is having a fantastic season.
