Houston Texans beat Jacksonville Jaguars 13-12 in home opener
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Texans had their home opener inside Sunday against the Jaguars, and it was a nail-biting 13-12 victory at the final seconds.
It was a relatively quiet first quarter with not much action happening. The Texans had a long drive, but it ultimately resulted in a 39-yard FG from Ka'imi Fairbairn. Watson had an open Duke Johnson near the end zone, but overthrew it.
Charles Omenihu was able to strip sack Gardner Minshew, but the Jaguars were able to recover the ball. It was the final play of the first quarter.
Whitney Mercilus was able to get another strip sack for the Texans late in the second quarter, but the Jaguars were once again able to recover.
Josh Lambo got the Jaguars on the board late in the first half with a 40-yard FG.
Zach Cunningham got his first sack of the season on the Jaguars' opening drive. He led the way in terms of tackles with eight.
Protecting Deshaun Watson was still a bit of an issue for the offensive line. The stat sheet accounted for him being sacked four times.
Fairbairn was able to knock in a 22-yard FG to give the Texans a 6-3 lead at halftime.
Mercilus continued his strong game after forcing Minshew to fumble for the third time. J.J. Watt came out of the pile with the football.
That Texans turnover would lead to the first TD of the day early in the 4th quarter. Watson ran it in for two yards on 4th down.
While the Texans weren't able to produce much offensively, a win is still a win. The running back duo of Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson continued to be a strong point.
Hyde led the Texans running game Sunday with 90 yards on 20 carries.
Mercilus had another strong outing with two tackles, two sacks and forcing a fumble. Credit to the entire Texans defense for getting to Minshew all afternoon.
While it seemed the Texans had a win locked in, Minshew was able to quickly get the Jaguars down the field quickly for a TD.
The Jaguars opted to be gutsy and go for a two-point conversion to win the game, but Leonard Fournette was stopped right at the goal line.
