Texans miss last-minute field goal, Jaguars survive Week 12 bout: 3 observations

The Houston Texans had been surging in recent weeks. But the Jacksonville Jaguars put a stop to their division foes, beating them 24-21 in Week 12. It wasn't easy though. In fact, the outcome could've been different had kicker Matt Ammendola had nailed his last-minute, 58-yard field goal.

Early in the third quarter, the Jaguars seemed in control of the game, leading 24-14. However, the offense cooled down, and the defense couldn't stop C.J. Stroud, which allowed the Texans to come back and make it 24-21. Given how well Stroud had played throughout most of the game, it looked like Houston was going to be able to tie the game. But they ultimately couldn't seal the deal.

The Jags deserve a lot of credit for going to NRG Stadium and getting their fifth consecutive win on the road this season. Houston took things to the wire but Jacksonville prevailed in the end and remains in first place in the AFC South heading into Week 13. With that in mind, here are three observations from the bout.

3. The Jaguars consistently pressured C.J. Stroud and it made the difference

The Jags brought the heat in Week 12, but still wasn't enough to consistently slow C.J. Stroud down. Stroud's feel for the rush and superb pocket awareness helped him get out of tough situations. The former Ohio State Buckeye went 26-of-36 for 304 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

In the first half, the Jags pressured Stroud on 57 percent of his dropbacks (12 of 21). Per Michael DiRocco of ESPN, that was the highest rate the rookie passer has experienced this season. But as much as Jacksonville pressured Stroud, they had a hard trouble stopping him. He would often leave the pocket to find more time to throw.

That said, the Jaguars' efforts to bring the heat weren't in vain. They did manage to hit him several times and register four sacks. Also, Josh Allen and Travon Walker, who had a combined two sacks in the Texans' last drive, were pivotal in the win.

Had the duo of Allen and Walker not taken down C.J. Stroud in the last drive, the Texans would have had a significantly better chance of making their last-minute field goal.

2. The Jaguars offense did a better job of moving but still missed opportunities

One of the biggest storylines in the first half of the season was the Jaguars' inability to finish drives. They would either stall out or turn the ball over. But they took a step in the right direction against the Tennessee Titans. Not only were they able to score at ease, finishing 34-14, but they also avoided turnovers.

That was just one game, and it was going to be interesting to see if Jacksonville was going to take advantage of every opportunity they had. They kind of did but also missed several opportunities. For example, Calvin Ridley couldn't reel in a pass in the end zone early in the game.

Near the end of the second half, wide receiver Christian Kirk had a 57-yard catch that got Jacksonville to the Texans' one-year line. But instead of playing it safe and kicking a field goal, they went for a touchdown. The decision in itself wasn't bad. As the old adage says, future favors the bold, and the Jags were going to get the ball to start the second half, so if there was a good time to bet on themselves, that was it.

The Jags ended up letting Travis Etienne carry the ball. The Texans stuffed him and he fell short. You could make the case that Jacksonville should've tried a quarterback sneak, or attempted a pass. On the other hand, it looks like he took a wide angle, and could've gotten in if he had made a cut straight to the end zone.

That said, nobody would have second-guessed the choice to go for it if Etienne had gotten in. That said, it doesn't seem like it was a popular decision. On the bright side, it didn't come back to haunt them later. Had the Jags lost, it would be the talk of the town the next few days.

1. Trevor Lawrence, Josh Allen were huge for the Jaguars in win vs. the Texans

It's true that the Jaguars couldn't capitalize on opportunities but they had a handful of great individual performances. Wide receiver Calvin Ridley made up for his drop in the end zone by hauling in five receptions for 89 yards with one touchdown. He also caught the two-point conversion that gave Jacksonville a temporary 21-14 lead. Similarly, Christian Kirk finished the bout with four catches for 89 yards.

Trevor Lawrence went 23-of-38 for 364 yards with one passing touchdown, one rushing touchdown, and an interception. The pick wasn't his fault though. In the third quarter, Lawrence threw a pass to tight end Evan Engram, but safety Jalen Pitre grabbed him and got ahead of him to make the play. He should've been called for pass interference but he didn't, and the refs granted the Texans the interception.

Leaving the interception aside, Lawrence became the first quarterback since 2000 to register four completions of 40+ yards in a game since 2000, per Ed Werder of ESPN. However you look at it, that's a great feat, one you wouldn't think it would take 23 years to accomplish.

On defense, outside linebacker Josh Allen came up clutch with a huge sack late in the fourth quarter. The former first-round pick totaled 2.5 sacks and three quarterback hits.

On a day in which the Jaguars' defense couldn't slow down C.J. Stroud, he deserves lots of praise for making a big play with the game on the line.

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