NFL: Texans Down Jaguars with Lopsided Second Half
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Arian Foster ran for 127 yards and a touchdown and helped the Houston Texans stay firmly in the playoff hunt with a 27-13 victory over the Jaguars on a rainy Sunday in Jacksonville.
The Texans (7-6), who earned consecutive wins for the first time since starting the season 2-0, came into Week 14 two games behind the AFC South- leading Colts and make a visit to Indianapolis next week.
They trailed 13-10 at halftime but scored 17 unanswered points as their defense -- led by J.J. Watt's three sacks -- limited Jacksonville to 73 yards after the break.
Ryan Fitzpatrick only threw 19 times and finished with 135 yards through the air but did run for a touchdown. One of his favorite targets, Andre Johnson, exited early in the second quarter with a concussion.
Blake Bortles and the Jaguars (2-11) failed to build off last week's 25-24 come-from-behind victory over the Giants. Bortles completed only 20-of-39 passes for 205 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Houston turned the tide on its first possession of the third quarter.
The Texans twice moved the chains on third down and converted a 4th-and-1 on an 84-yard march that lasted eight-plus minutes. They were 0-for-6 on third down conversions coming into the drive.
Twelve of the 16 plays were runs, and Alfred Blue put Houston ahead for good with a punishing plunge from a yard out.
D.J. Swearinger picked off Bortles on the ensuing possession, and Ryan Griffin's 25-yard catch gave Houston a 1st-and-goal from the 1.
Foster was stuffed twice, Fitzpatrick was stopped for no gain on third down and Houston brought out its kicking unit before calling a timeout.
The offense came back on the field after discussing the situation, and Foster cashed in despite being initially knocked backwards. He bounced it to the outside and strutted into the end zone for a crucial score.
Randy Bullock tacked on a 44-yard field goal with 8:39 remaining, and Jacksonville turned it over on downs its next time with the ball.
The Jaguars started off well with Bortles hooking up with fellow rookie Allen Hurns for a 4-yard strike in the corner of the end zone with 3:39 remaining in the opening quarter.
Foster's season-long 51-yard run set up Bullock's 44-yard field goal, and Johnson caught a pair of passes early in the second quarter to help Houston get into the red zone.
On third down, however, Johnson took a helmet-to-helmet hit from linebacker Telvin Smith and never returned. Smith was flagged for hitting a defenseless receiver, keeping the drive alive, and Fitzpatrick scored on a designed run from four yards out to give the Texans their first lead.
A pair of promising Jacksonville drives stalled later in the second quarter, and Josh Scobee connected on field goals from 33 and 37 yards out to send the Jags into the break with a 13-10 lead.
Game Notes: Foster recorded the 32nd 100-yard rushing game of his career, moving him past Priest Holmes for the most in NFL history by an undrafted player ... Scobee became the first player in Jaguars history with 1,000 career points ... Blue is the first player in Texans history with a rushing TD, receiving TD and return TD in the same season ... Watt upped his season total to 14 1/2 sacks.
