The Houston Texans’ 2025 season has been a losing proposition from the word “GO.” After getting off to an 0-3 start, with three close losses, they were able to cobble together a few wins, getting to 2-3, and 3-4 at various points in the season, but they have yet to climb to the .500 mark.
They came into Sunday’s home game against the 5-3 Jacksonville Jaguars with a 3-5 record, a record which isn’t a death blow to playoff hopes unto itself, but it’s the gateway to 3-6, which really is about as close to a death blow as you can get.
Perhaps that’s why Sunday’s game against Jacksonville, particularly as the Texans made mistake after mind-numbing mistake to stake the Jags to a 29-10 lead, it felt like the Texans were truly staring seasonal death in the face. In fact, as the Texans were trailing 29-10 and facing a 4th and 2 at the Jags’ 17 yard line with 13 minutes left in the game, the Jaguars’ win probability according to ESPN.com was 98.4 percent.
Call it the greatest comeback in Texans’ history, call it pulling the season off of life support. Whatever it was, the Texans showed incredible guts, coming back from down 19 points in the fourth quarter, with a backup QB behind a makeshift offensive line, to move to 4-5 on the season. Hope remains alive!
Here are your winners and losers for Sunday’s thriller:
WINNERS
4. Woody Marks
Marks got the start for the first time in his career on Sunday, and that was not just window dressing for a healthy dose of Nick Chubb. The carries were apportioned out in a manner that reflected Marks’ status. For the game, Marks had 14 carries for 63 yards, but it was a couple plays near goal line that made the big difference. Marks scored the Texans’ first touchdown of the day on an outside run (novel concept, from the two yard line!) and on Davis Mills’ game winning touchdown, he played decoy perfectly, running a potential tackler out of the play.
3. Danielle Hunter
Hunter was a certified beast out there on Sunday, having his most disruptive game as a Houston Texan, including last season. For the afternoon, Hunter finished with A sizzle reel of 3.5 sacks, 4 tackles for loss, and 4 QB hits. He was a menace all day, and the main catalyst for a defense that was able to get the ball back to the Texans in the fourth quarter enough to go win the game.
2. Nick Caley
If we are going to kill Nick Caley on Sundays like last week, when the Texans had two drives that died inside the opposing two yard line, then he needs to be acknowledged on a day like Sunday, when he pushed all the right buttons, especially in the second half. Caley leaned on the rookie skill guys more in this game. That made sense. His game management in the final drive was masterful, burning almost the entire clock to the ground on a 93 yard drive. The offensive line juggling and personnel choices didn’t make sense, but in a win, that’s a back burner thing, especially considering they should be getting Tytus Howard and Ed Ingram back soon.
1. Davis Mills
An interception thrown on thje first drive of the game was not exactly the follow up to last week’s awful second half against Denver, but that’s what happened. Fortunately, Mills shook it off, and ended up having one of the best statistical games of his career, and certainly a comeback that was the most impressive the Texans have had since 2013. Also noteworthy — all three of the touchdowns engineered in the fourth quarter came on third down situations. Mills was excellent in “must have” situations.
LOSERS
4. Texans special teams
It’s not often we say this, because typically the Texans’ special teams are a unit that is helping erase mistakes made by the offense, but there is no way around it — Frank Ross’ special teams units were awful on Sunday. Trevon Smith fumbled a kickoff return deep in Texans territory. Denice Autry committed a penalty on a Jags field goal attempt. The coverage unit allowed a punt return for a touchdown, one of several big returns allowed. There is no shortage of teach film for Ross’ crew.
3. Texans offensive line logic
This feels nit picky, given the fact that the offense wound up generating over 400 total yards (nearly twice the Jags’ total offense) and the Texans won the game, but I have trouble understanding the logic behind starting practice squad body Sidy Sow at right guard. Sow was awful, and replaced eventually by Juice Scruggs. Why wasn’t Scruggs starting in the first place? Jarrett Patterson, who is a center by trade and hadn’t played in weeks, was the starting left guard. It was just very strange. Trent Brown replaced Howard at right tackle and actually played fairly well, aside from some pre snap penalties.
2. Trevor Lawrence
Lawrence continues to be one of the most overrated and overpaid players in the NFL, and it would have been a shame for the Texans to get swept by him and his goofy face and his flowing locks. The fact of the matter is that Texans mistakes gifted Lawrence some short fields, which allowed him to more easily generate points. However, once the Jaguars needed Lawrence to do something, like get a first down in the fourth quarter, he was an utter failure. I hope he is the Jags’ quarterback for a long, long time.
1. James Gladstone, Jags GM
Gladstone is the Jags’ first year general manager. He is known for two things. First, with his pointy facial features and sinister eyes, he looks like the wormiest version of an evil villain in a super hero movie. Second, he is best known for this absurd hyperbolic declaration after drafting Travis Hunter, claiming he will change the sport itself. (NOTE: Hunter is making very little impact right now, on injured reserve.)
Finally, he is now known for cheering obnoxiously in the press box on Sunday, a big press box “no no.” Fortunately, from the early fourth quarter on, Gladstone had very little to cheer about anyway.
The post Houston Texans Defeat Jacksonville Jaguars in Historic Comeback, 36-29 appeared first on Houston Press.
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
