DeMeco Ryans and Sheldon Rankins celebrate Houston’s stunning win against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Tim Warner / Getty Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars collapsed in Houston, with the Texans pulling off a 36-29 comeback win over the Jaguars in a game that Jacksonville appeared to be in firm control of for most of the afternoon.

The Jaguars were in command from the outset, intercepting Texans quarterback Davis Mills on the third play of the game. Mills was starting in place of C.J. Stroud, who suffered a concussion in Houston’s Week 9 loss to the Denver Broncos.

The interception set up the Jaguars in Houston territory at the Texans’ 40-yard line, but Jacksonville was only able to settle for a field goal. On the ensuing kickoff, Tremon Smith fumbled the ball on the kickoff return, giving the ball right back to the Jaguars. This time, Jacksonville managed to turn the turnover into a touchdown and took a 10-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

The Jaguars added a touchdown in the second quarter. Wide receiver Parker Washington took a punt 72 yards to the end zone, giving the Jaguars a 17-0 lead despite the Jacksonville offense only mustering 55 total yards to that point. Jacksonville took a 20-10 lead into halftime.

It was much of the same story in the third quarter, with the Jaguars managing a field goal on the opening drive of the second half and the Texans turning the ball over on downs on their first drive of the second half after a Mills incompletion on fourth-and-five from the Jacksonville 42-yard line.

That led to perhaps the most competent drive of the game for the Jaguars’ offense, going 58 yards in 11 plays, capped by a Travis Etienne touchdown run. That gave the Jaguars a 29-10 lead, which they took into the fourth quarter.

The Texans had little margin for error, needing the offense to get going and the defense to stand firm. That’s exactly what happened the rest of the way.

The Texans took their first drive of the fourth quarter and marched 65 yards in 13 plays to score a touchdown. On their second drive of the final period, the Texans were quicker, scoring a touchdown in six plays in less than three minutes. Meanwhile, the Jaguars’ offense was stagnant, going three-and-out in each of their first two drives.

That led to Houston’s final possession, which began at the Texans’ own 7-yard line, trailing 29-24 and needing a touchdown. Mills methodically guided the Texans down the field, capping the 14-play, 93-yard drive with a 14-yard touchdown run to give Houston an improbable 30-29 lead.

The Jaguars had one final opportunity, and a kicker in Cam Little who had kicked an NFL-record 68-yard field goal last week. After a 21-yard run by Trevor Lawrence, the Jaguars appeared to move into field goal range on a completion from Lawrence to Washington, but an illegal use of hands penalty moved the Jaguars back to their own 35-yard line. The Texans put the icing on the cake with a strip-sack returned for a touchdown.

In total, the Texans and Jaguars each had three drives in the fourth quarter. The Texans ran 33 plays and scored three touchdowns. The Jaguars totaled nine plays — two three-and-outs and the final drive that ended in a fumble — and scored zero points.

The Jaguars fell to 5-4, remaining in second place in the AFC South. The Texans improved to 4-5 and moved within striking distance of the Jaguars. Both teams are looking up at the Indianapolis Colts in the division, who improved to 8-2 with a win earlier on Sunday over the Atlanta Falcons.

Nov 9, 2025

Connections: Sports Edition

Spot the pattern. Connect the terms

Find the hidden link between sports terms

Saad Yousuf is a staff writer covering the NFL. He previously covered the Dallas Cowboys and the Dallas Stars at The Athletic. Saad also works at 96.7/1310 The Ticket in Dallas after five years at ESPN Dallas radio. Prior to The Athletic, Saad covered the Cowboys, Mavericks and a variety of other sports at The Dallas Morning News. Follow Saad on Twitter @SaadYousuf126