Geno Hayes intercepted Matt Schaub with just over two minutes left to play and the Jacksonville Jaguars held on to earn their first home victory of the year, a 27-20 win over the Houston Texans on Thursday night.
Don’t look now but the Jaguars have won four of their last five games and are playing much better football under head coach Gus Bradley. The Texans on the other hand lost their 11th straight game.
Schaub replaced Case Keenum as the Texans’ quarterback in the late stages of the third quarter after Jacksonville had taken a 24-10 lead. Schaub quickly led the Texans on a touchdown drive with a 5-yard pass to Garrett Graham to pull within a score. A Randy Bullock field goal pulled Houston within four early in the fourth quarter but Houston couldn’t complete the rally.
The Texans failed to convert a fourth-and-2 deep in Jacksonville territory to stall a promising drive. Houston got the ball back with just over two minutes to play but Schaub threw directly to Hayes for the interception. Josh Scobee added 39-yard field goal to extend the lead to seven as the Jaguars earned the win.
Houston couldn’t get out of their own way. The Texans had 14 penalties for 177 yards on the night. Andre Johnson was stellar with 13 catches for 154 yards, but it wasn’t enough to make up for all the penalties and mistakes.
Jones-Drew suffered a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter and did not return. Jones-Drew eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the first time in over a year with 103 yards on 14 carries. He hadn’t rushed for 100 yards in a game since carrying for 177 yards against the Indianapolis Colts in Sept. 2012.