Houston’s Final Kick Spoils Jacksonville’s Wembley Rally

With three seconds left at Wembley Stadium, Houston’s kicker lined up from 49 yards away with the score tied. His field goal sailed through, and the Texans escaped with a 34-31 win that turned a wild AFC South game upside down.

Houston arrived at 1-4 needing a spark after its slow start. Jacksonville came in 4-1, trying to extend its winning streak and prove last season’s 13-win surge still had power. Instead, the Texans showed they could answer every Jaguars charge, then made the final play.

C.J. Stroud started the action with a 42-yard strike to Nico Collins, setting up Foster Moreau’s 6-yard touchdown catch for a 7-0 Houston lead. Jacksonville marched right back behind runs by Chris Rodriguez Jr. and sharp throws from Trevor Lawrence, but safety Bullock intercepted Lawrence at the goal line. That stop kept Houston ahead and showed why the Texans defense is so tough near its own end zone.

Jacksonville did not fade. Parker Washington made a 27-yard catch, and Lawrence found Bhayshul Tuten for a 27-yard touchdown pass to tie the game, 7-7. Houston answered with a field goal, but Lawrence drove the Jaguars downfield again before halftime. Tuten caught a 2-yard touchdown pass with 55 seconds left, putting Jacksonville ahead 14-10.

The lead lasted only moments. Stroud fired a 50-yard pass to Jaylin Noel, then found Moreau for a 1-yard touchdown with eight seconds left in the half. Houston led 17-14, and its quick response changed the mood of the game.

The Texans kept rolling after halftime. Stroud led a long drive that ended with Noel’s 13-yard touchdown catch, making it 24-14. When Jacksonville pulled within 24-21 on Lawrence’s 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Nate Boerkircher, Houston had another answer. Jawhar Jordan burst 25 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter, stretching the lead to 31-21.

Lawrence refused to let the game slip away. He finished with 306 passing yards and four touchdown passes, even though Brian Thomas Jr. was held without a catch. Travis Hunter’s 7-yard touchdown catch cut Houston’s lead to 31-28 early in the fourth. Then Hunter made an even bigger play on defense, intercepting Stroud in the end zone with Houston close to scoring again.

That gave Jacksonville its chance. Lawrence moved the Jaguars into range, and Cam Little blasted a 60-yard field goal to tie it 31-31 with 1:55 remaining. But Stroud calmly guided Houston across midfield, using a 21-yard Collins catch and runs by Woody Marks and Jordan to set up the winning kick.

The Jaguars fall to 4-2 before facing the Indianapolis Colts, with their late-game fight still a strength. Houston rises to 2-4 and heads to the New York Giants carrying proof that its offense can match its hard-nosed defense when the final seconds matter most.