JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Brian Thomas Jr. was so frustrated by his latest drop — and the ensuing boos — that he slammed his helmet into the ground near the bench.
A few minutes later, he hurled a football at a wall to celebrate one of the biggest plays of the day.
Trevor Lawrence found Thomas for a 46-yard gain, Travis Etienne scored on the next play and the Jacksonville Jaguars held on to beat the Houston Texans 17-10 in a chippy divisional game Sunday.
“I just had to keep fighting,” said Thomas, who also dropped passes in each of the first two games. “A 60-minute game is a long game, and my teammates had my back the whole game. Everything is not going to go your way the whole time. You keep fighting, and that’s what happens when you keep fighting.”
It was Jacksonville’s first home win against the Texans since 2017. Houston had won 12 of the previous 14 in the AFC South series.
Equally important for the Jaguars (2-1) was the way Thomas responded to another mistake-filled performance. His 46-yarder against an all-out blitz came after three drops and may have been the catalyst needed to turn around a sluggish start.
The Texans (0-3) seemingly let Etienne score from 10 yards out with 1:48 remaining.
C.J. Stroud drove Houston into striking distance in the waning seconds. But Josh Hines-Allen slapped the ball as the quarterback released it, and Antonio Johnson intercepted the wobbler to seal the victory.
It was the kind of closeout that has eluded the Jaguars in recent years.
“We’re not going to get bullied,” said Lawrence, who had to be pulled away from Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair in the second half. “I feel like that’s what they want to do. I’m not saying that’s wrong, but that’s their mindset and it’s not going to happen to this team. It was fun to be able to punch back and stand up in those moments, where it’s like, ‘All right, you want to throw that punch? We’re here.’”
The Texans will point to Nico Collins’ fumble with 3:58 to play as the turning point. Tyson Campbell knocked the ball out after a catch and it bounced into Devin Lloyd’s hands. It got Jacksonville headed in the right direction.
“We give the ball to one of our best players, Nico,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “We trust him with the football. He knows it. I know he hates it more than anyone else, to have the ball taken away from him there. That was tough.”
C.J. Stroud throws his first INTs against Jacksonville
Stroud’s picks were his first against the Jaguars. The third-year pro entered the game with seven TD passes and no interceptions in four starts against the Jaguars. But the Jaguars dominated this matchup.
Stroud completed 25 of 38 passes for 204 yards, with a touchdown and the two turnovers. He also was sacked twice.
Jacksonville finished with three takeaways for the third consecutive game, the first time that’s happened to start a season.
“You turn the ball over three times, it’s tough to win in this league,” Ryans said. “It’s tough enough to win, but when you put yourself in the position to help the opponent win, that’s just not winning football.”
Hines-Allen dominates matchup with a rookie
Hines-Allen dominated his matchup with Houston rookie left tackle Aireontae Ersery. Not only did Hines-Allen start the game-sealing play, he finished with three QB hits, including a shared sack with Arik Armstead.
Ersery, a second-round draft pick from Minnesota, allowed the sack, several pressures and was flagged for holding. He also was penalized 15 yards for grabbing Campbell’s facemask during a running play.
“We’re building something very special here,” Hines-Allen said. “This was a great building point for how far can we go.”
Hines-Allen is two sacks shy of breaking the franchise record (55) set by Tony Brackens in 2003. Hines-Allen has 53 ½ career sacks over seven seasons.
Key injuries
Texans All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. left the game in the first quarter with an abdominal injury. He returned for the next series but ended up leaving the game for good. He was ruled out early in the second half. Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson left the game briefly in the third but returned.
Jaguars receiver Dyami Brown injured his left shoulder while making a 1-yard catch in the third, ended up in the locker room and was later ruled out.
Up next
Houston hosts Tennessee on Sunday.
Jacksonville plays at San Francisco on Sunday. The Jaguars are 0-2 in San Francisco.
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