Game Report, 2024 Week 13: Texans 23, Jaguars 20

Dec 01, 2024 at 04:39 PM

John Oehser

Jaguars Senior Writer

JACKSONVILLE – This one got ugly early. It got emotional, too.

Then it got interesting.

With quarterback Trevor Lawrence leaving with a concussion – and with fights twice delaying play after a flagrant hit that caused the injury – the Jaguars scrapped, rallied and nearly came back in a 23-20 loss to the Houston Texans in front of 62,588 at EverBank Stadium Sunday afternoon.

"To see that go down like that, and to see the team rally around it, was remarkable," Jaguars center Mitch Morse said. "We're really praying for Trevor. We hope he makes a speedy recovery and we'll go from there."

Jaguars backup quarterback Mac Jones threw fourth-quarter touchdowns to wide receivers Brian Thomas Jr. and Parker Washington to cut a 23-6 fourth-quarter deficit to the final margin.

The loss eliminated the Jaguars from the AFC South race.

"It takes a little wind out of your sails," Pederson said of Lawrence’s second-quarter exit, "but on the flip side of that, Mac came in and got us back in the football game. Proud of that, too."

The Jaguars (2-10) lost a fourth consecutive game. The AFC South-leading Texans (8-5) won after losing four of their previous six games.

"We came up short in the end, but I feel like the guys responded," Jones said.

Running back Joe Mixon and tight end Dalton Schultz scored third- and fourth-quarter touchdowns, with the Texans scoring on three consecutive second-half possessions to pull away from a 6-6 tie early in the second half.

The game will be remembered for an ugly play in the second quarter, with Lawrence sustaining a concussion on a flagrant and unnecessary hit by linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.

"It's a play that nobody wants to see in our league," Pederson said.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Houston Texans

QB Trevor Lawrence (16)

Pederson said he saw Lawrence at halftime.

"He was moving around and everything, and he'll be fine," Pederson said. "He'll obviously go into the [concussion] protocol."

Lawrence scrambled six yards on second-and-7 from the Jaguars 49, with Al-Shaair hitting Lawrence in the head with his forearm after Lawrence began to slide. Al-Shaair was penalized for unnecessary roughness, with Jaguars tight end Evan Engram immediately leveling Al-Shaair and multiple members of both teams brawling for several minutes near the Jaguars' sideline.

Al-Shaair and Jaguars rookie cornerback Jarrian Jones were ejected, with the incident resuming as Al-Shaair left for the visitors' locker room.

Jones, who started the Jaguars' most recent two games with Lawrence out with a left – non-throwing – shoulder injury, completed 20 of 32 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions. Lawrence, playing for the first time since injuring the shoulder in a November 3 road loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, completed four of 10 passes for 41 yards and no touchdowns with no interceptions.

"I was excited for Trevor to get back out there, to start for our team and lead our football team this week," Pederson said. "That was always the goal, to shoot for the Houston game to get him back out there. I thought the officials did a great job of doing the best they could to get control of it."

Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud completed 22 of 34 passes for 242 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions.

The Jaguars registered two sacks and no takeaways Sunday, with defensive end Travon Walker registering a first-quarter sack and defensive end Josh Hines-Allen adding one in the second quarter. Walker has 8.5 sacks this season and Hines-Allen has six.

Related Links

Step by Step: Breaking Down Jaguars Week 13

The Texans largely controlled a scoreless first quarter, registering five first downs and 90 yards to one first down and 44 for the Jaguars.
Texans kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn's 53-yard field goal gave Houston a 3-0 lead with 14:51 remaining in the second quarter. The play capped a 40-yard drive, with the key play a 40-yard pass from Stroud to wide receiver Nico Collins to the Jaguars 35 just before the end of the first quarter. Fairbairn added a 30-yard field goal on the ensuing drive to give the Texans a 6-0 lead with 6:26 remaining in the second quarter. That came 11 plays and 33 yards after Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. returned an interception off Lawrence 31 yards to the Jaguars 44. Jaguars rookie kicker Cam Little capped the drive on which Lawrence sustained the concussion with a 33-yard field goal that cut the Texans' lead to 6-3 with :08 remaining in the second quarter.
Little's 30-yard field goal capped a nine-play, 68-yard drive and tied the game 6-6 with 10:06 remaining in the third quarter; Thomas turned a crossing route into a 56-yard catch-and-run gain to the Texans 13 to set up the field goal. The Texans drove 70 yards on five plays on the ensuing possession, taking a 13-6 lead on Mixon's seven-yard run with 8:04 remaining in the third quarter. The Texans pushed the lead to 16-6 on their ensuing series with a 28-yard field goal by Fairbairn with 1:16 remaining in the third quarter.
Schultz's 22-yard touchdown reception on a pass from Stroud pushed the Texans' lead to 23-6 with 12:11 remaining. Washington's 22-yard reception cut the lead to 23-12 on the ensuing series, with Thomas's six-yard reception – and Washington's subsequent two-point reception – cutting the lead to 23-20 with 3:31 remaining.

Notable Game Moments

Linebacker Yasir Abdullah (hamstring) was among six inactive players for the Jaguars Sunday, with the others running back D'Ernest Johnson, rookie offensive lineman Javon Foster, defensive tackle Esezi Otomewo, rookie defensive tackle Jordan Jefferson and quarterback C.J. Beathard (emergency third quarterback).

In-Game Injury Report

Lawrence was ruled out with a concussion shortly after sustaining the injury.
Jaguars cornerback Tyson Campbell sustained a thigh injury in the third quarter and did not return.
Jaguars safety Darnell Savage sustained an ankle injury and returned.