Postgame recap: Jacksonville Jaguars edge Houston Texans, last-minute FG hits crossbar

Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans. That's the matchup 1 p.m. Sunday at NRG Stadium, and for the first time in a long time, this is a major game.

For the Jaguars, victory would boost them into pole position for a repeat title in the AFC South. Trevor Lawrence is coming off one of his best-ever games in last week's 34-14 romp against the Titans, which included 103 yards through the air to wide receiver Calvin Ridley.

But the Texans have turned things around, fast. This isn't the same team that went down 31-3 when the Jaguars traveled to Houston in January. Led by rookie QB C.J. Stroud and WR Tank Dell, they've won their last three to close the division race to a single game, and the Texans already beat the Jags 37-17 at EverBank Stadium in September.

Jaguars report card: It's a Banner day all around in 24-21 victory over Houston Texans

Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette grades the Jaguars’ performance in a 24-21 win against the Houston Texans based on execution, effort and game circumstances. - Gene Frenette

Jaguars kickers show up big in Houston, special teams units shine against Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Brandon McManus has only missed field-goal attempts against the Houston Texans this season. The good news is it didn't matter the first time and he more than carried his share of the load in the second meeting on Sunday at NGR Stadium in Houston. - Garry Smits

Jaguars hold off Texans, have complete control of AFC South with 24-21 victory in Week 12

A "Battle Red" day indeed.

The Jacksonville Jaguars (8-3) were seeing red after the team dropped its Week 3 matchup against the Houston Texans (6-5) at EverBank Stadium on Sept. 24. On Sunday, the Jaguars got revenge, defeating the Texans 24-21 at NRG Stadium after a last-minute field goal attempt by Houston came up just short, hitting the cross bar with only seconds left in the game. See the key takeaways. - Demetrius Harvey

FINAL: Jaguars 24, Texans 21

The Jags improve to 8-3 and lead the AFC South by two games. - Clayton Freeman

NO GOOD: Matt Ammendola field goal hits the crossbar for Texans, Jaguars to hold on

The Jaguars survive in Texas: The 58-yard attempt hits the bar, Trevor Lawrence kneels down and the Jags will win it. - Clayton Freeman

Texans send on field goal unit for 58-yard attempt, Jaguars call timeout

It might all come down to this. The Jaguars lead 24-21. Matt Ammendola is on to attempt a 58-yard field goal for the Texans with 0:34 to go. Travon Walker and Josh Allen had combined to sack C.J. Stroud to back Houston up a bit. - Clayton Freeman

C.J. Stroud advances across midfield, converts third down

The Texans are on the move, near field goal range after a completion to Robert Woods. - Clayton Freeman

Two-minute warning: Texans in second and a mile after Josh Allen sack

It's a thriller in Texas. The Texans will face second and long after Josh Allen chased down C.J. Stroud for a sack and a loss of 15 to their own 32. Earlier, Stroud had converted a third down to Tank Dell to near midfield.

The Jaguars lead 24-21 with 2:00 left. Houston has one timeout left. - Clayton Freeman

Jaguars' drive stalls out at midfield; Texans to get football back

The drive breaks down. It started well for the Jaguars: Travis Etienne broke out for the first time today, a long run to near midfield. But a first-down run gained only 3 yards. Trevor Lawrence's second-down pass to Luke Farrell was a bit behind the receiver and Steven Nelson swatted it down. On third down, Lawrence went deep for Zay Jones but Jones came down out of bounds. Doug Pederson has summoned the punt unit and the Texans will get the ball back with a chance to win it, and one timeout left. The Jags lead 24-21, 3:07 4th. - Clayton Freeman

Touchdown Texans: C.J. Stroud connects with Nico Collins, Houston closes gap

This one is not over. A little more magic from C.J. Stroud on that drive. He found former Bartram Trail High School receiver Xavier Hutchinson on a deep pass between corner and safety down to around the 20. Then, on third down, Stroud escaped pressure and passed to Nico Collins for a 17-yard score. He advanced the Texans to the end zone in under two minutes.

Jaguars 24, Texans 21, 5:15 4th. - Clayton Freeman

Wide right: Brandon McManus misses field goal, Jaguars' lead remains 10

A couple of drops -- one by Christian Kirk on a deep ball thrown into a sliver of bright sunlight -- ruined that drive. Then, Brandon McManus missed wide right from 55 yards, his first miss in his last 20. Not effective use of favorable field position for the Jags. The Texans will take over close to midfield. The Jaguars still lead 24-14, 7:05 4th. - Clayton Freeman

Turnover on downs: After Foye Oluokun tackle, Texans overthrow on fourth down

The Jaguars' defense gets a huge stop. The key play belonged to Foye Oluokun, making an open-field tackle on second down just short of the chains. Houston then went deep on third and fourth downs but missed both. The Jags take over in Texans territory with a 24-14 lead, and only 9:15 remaining on the clock. - Clayton Freeman

Field goal Jaguars: Brandon McManus extends lead to 10 with 52-yarder

That was big. Brandon McManus converts a 52-yard boot to make it a two-score game. It's been an eventful second half for the officials, drawing the ire of both teams on this drive. The Jaguars thought they had converted fourth and 1 from the 30 on a Trevor Lawrence sneak, but the officials tossed an illegal formation flag. That meant another kick for McManus, and like the first two, he was right on target.

Jaguars 24, Texans 14, 11:20 4th. - Clayton Freeman

End of third quarter: Jaguars 21, Texans 14

Trevor Lawrence is now above 300 and close to midfield, after a line-drive pass through traffic to Calvin Ridley.

A defensive hold against Houston, the latest of several unpopular calls against the home team, extended this drive for the Jags. - Clayton Freeman

Sacksonville: Josh Allen sacks C.J. Stroud on third down

The Jaguars' defense needed a big play and they got one. Josh Allen broke in untouched and sacked C.J. Stroud on third down, forcing a punt. That moves Allen into second place on the Jags' all-time sack list, behind Tony Brackens. The rookie quarterback appears to be in some pain on the sideline, after K'Lavon Chaisson was blocked into him on the preceding play. The Jaguars take over at their own 11, leading the Texans 21-14 with two and a half minutes left in the third. - Clayton Freeman

Touchdown Jaguars: After multiple pass interference flags, Calvin Ridley catches Trevor Lawrence TD

The end of a wild drive. Trevor Lawrence marched the Jaguars up the field again, beginning with a 45-yard pass to Calvin Ridley. The Jaguars twice looked stopped inside the red zone, but Tavierre Thomas was called for contested pass interference violations on two consecutive third downs -- both involving use of hands against Jaguars receivers Evan Engram and Christian Kirk. With the ball on the 1, Travis Etienne was stuffed on first down, and Luke Farrell dropped a pass in the end zone on second down, before Ridley caught a third-down strike. Doug Pederson went for two and Ridley caught the pass in the back of the end zone.

Jaguars 21, Texans 14, 4:29 3rd. - Clayton Freeman

Touchdown Texans: C.J. Stroud rushes for 1-yard score as Houston takes lead

Houston has turned this game around in a hurry, after their goal-line stand and their interception. C.J. Stroud fired a strike to Nico Collins to advance inside the red zone and Devin Singletary carried the football to just outside the goal line. The Jags stuffed Singletary on first and second down, but on third down, Stroud faked a handoff to Andrew Beck and rounded right end for a 1-yard score. The Jaguars trail for the first time today.

Texans 14, Jaguars 13, 8:10 3rd. - Clayton Freeman

Interception: Texans' Derek Stingley Jr. picks off Trevor Lawrence -- no flag on play

Wow. Trevor Lawrence led the Jaguars across midfield, including the first catch of the game for Calvin Ridley, before disaster struck. Lawrence looked for Evan Engram on the slant, but the tight end didn't complete his route as an apparent result of a defensive hold from behind, and the ball flew into the hands of Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. The return sets up Houston in Jacksonville territory. Lawrence and the Jaguars argued for a pass interference flag, but none arrived, and the Texans have a chance to move in front. The Jags lead 13-7, 11:49 3rd. - Clayton Freeman

Second-half kickoff: Jaguars take over from own 15

The Jaguars begin in poor field position after D'Ernest Johnson's unsuccessful kickoff return. They lead 13-7 in Houston. - Clayton Freeman

HALFTIME: Jaguars pass up field goal, but Texans stop Travis Etienne on goal line

Backed up at their 40 with 10 seconds to go, Trevor Lawrence made some magic happen. He lofted a pass to Christian Kirk down the left sideline, and the receiver ran the ball to the 1 with a single second left. Doug Pederson passed up the chip-shot field goal to go for a touchdown on a sweep to Travis Etienne, but the Texans were all over the running back. So it's 13-7 -- not 16-7 -- at the half in Houston. - Clayton Freeman

Field goal try drifts wide for Texans' Matt Ammendola

It's becoming a familiar pattern: The Jaguars almost wrap up C.J. Stroud on play after play, only for the quarterback to somehow scramble away and find a Texans receiver -- usually Tank Dell -- for an improbable catch. Dell almost made an impossible reception on the sideline at the 11, but officials ruled him out of bounds after a review. From there, kicker Matt Ammendola entered for a 50-yard field goal attempt that drifted wide right. The Jags take over with good field position, a 13-7 lead and 20 ticks left in the second quarter. - Clayton Freeman

Trevor Lawrence scored another rushing touchdown for the Jaguars. How many is he up to?

Trevor the touchdown maker. All of a sudden, one of the Jacksonville Jaguars' most effective scoring weapons on the ground has been quarterback Trevor Lawrence. - Garry Smits

Two-minute warning: Jaguars 13, Texans 7

Close to halftime now. If the Jags can keep Houston out of the end zone here, they'll go into the NRG Stadium locker room with the lead. - Clayton Freeman

Field goal Jaguars: Brandon McManus converts from distance

So close. Trevor Lawrence's pass to Calvin Ridley in the end zone missed by just a couple of inches, glancing off the receiver's fingertips. Setting up the drive was a 42-yard catch-and-run for Luke Farrell in the right flat. After the incompletion for Ridley in the end zone, Brandon McManus entered to convert his second field goal of the day from 48 yards. Good news for the Jaguars, too: Travis Etienne is back in the game.

Jaguars 13, Texans 7, 2:24 2nd. - Clayton Freeman

Injury watch: Jaguars RB Travis Etienne questionable with chest injury

Another injury of note for the Jaguars: Travis Etienne, who went to the locker room before the last Houston drive, is now questionable with a chest injury. That likely means more of D'Ernest Johnson and Tank Bigsby in action for the Jags. - Clayton Freeman

Touchdown Texans: C.J. Stroud leads speedy drive for score, ends with TD pass to Tank Dell

The rookie connection strikes again for the Texans. C.J. Stroud keeps finding ways to escape the Jaguars' pass rush to keep plays going. He also found Devin Singletary on a screen, a play that advanced all the way to the Jacksonville 8. From there, Stroud had all the time in the world on second down, firing a strike to Tank Dell at the goal line to put the Texans on the board.

Jaguars 10, Texans 7, 6:37 2nd. - Clayton Freeman

Touchdown Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence powers into end zone on 1-yard sneak after screen to D'Ernest Johnson

That's a touchdown. Trevor Lawrence finished it off himself, plowing into the end zone on the sneak, Jalen Hurts-style, from 1 yard. The key plays on that drive: a screen to D'Ernest Johnson that motored down the right sideline for 42 yards to the Houston 8, and a disputed defensive pass interference flag on Texans defensive back De'Andre Houston-Carson after he had slapped down a third-down pass toward Zay Jones.

Jaguars 10, Texans 0, 9:43 2nd. - Clayton Freeman

Texans' drive ends quickly, Roy Robertson-Harris makes first Jaguars sack

It's been advantage Jaguars on defense. Roy Robertson-Harris made a sack that left Houston with 20 yards to go, and they weren't able to pick up the yardage on third down. The Jags take over, up 3-0 with 14:22 left in the second. - Clayton Freeman

End of first quarter: Jaguars 3, Texans 0

That's the end of one. C.J. Stroud found Tank Dell with a 62-yard bomb that would have been the last play of the quarter, but an illegal shift nullified the Texans' big play. - Clayton Freeman

Jaguars go three-and-out after Travis Etienne reception

The Jags didn't go anywhere on that possession. Travis Etienne grabbed a third-down pass but the Texans quickly ushered him out of bounds. Logan Cooke's punt pinned the Houston offense inside the 10 and the Jacksonville defense goes to work, leading 3-0 with 3:34 left in the first. - Clayton Freeman

Injury watch: Jaguars left tackle Cam Robinson down on first play of drive

Bad news for the Jaguars: Cam Robinson went down on the opening play of the drive, holding his knee or lower leg. Trevor Lawrence had escaped a potential sack on the play and Robinson went down behind the QB. With Robinson walking off slowly, Walker Little now shifts to left tackle and Ezra Cleveland enters at left guard. - Clayton Freeman

Texans go three-and-out: C.J. Stroud escapes pressure but overthrows deep ball

A solid start for the Jaguars' defense, which is applying heavy pressure to C.J. Stroud. Josh Allen hit the rookie quarterback as he attempted a second-down pass, resulting in a ball that Devin Lloyd nearly intercepted. Then, on third down, Stroud evaded a nearly-certain sack by Roy Robertson-Harris and looked downfield for Tank Dell, but got too much air on the football. That's a three-and-out, and after Parker Washington's punt return, the Jaguars take over just short of midfield with a 3-0 lead and 4:24 remaining in the first quarter. - Clayton Freeman

Field goal Jaguars: Brandon McManus kicks Jags into early lead in Houston

A pretty nice early drive for the Jaguars, until a crucial drop by Evan Engram halted the progress along the sideline. Before then, Trevor Lawrence had advanced the Jags comfortably across midfield, connecting with Engram, Zay Jones and Christian Kirk for first-down completions. When two Texans combined to down Travis Etienne short of the sticks, kicker Brandon McManus entered to extend his perfect streak on field goals by drilling a 40-yarder through the goalposts.

Jaguars 3, Texans 0, 5:54 1st. - Clayton Freeman

Jaguars run C.J. Stroud out of bounds, force punt on first possession

Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud found Tank Dell for a first down on his first pass, but the Jaguars' defense stopped the Texans after that, with Travon Walker running the QB out of bounds short of midfield. The Jaguars will go on offense for the first time at their own 12 with the game scoreless and 11:48 left in the first quarter. - Clayton Freeman

Coin toss: Jaguars win toss and defer, Texans to get football

The Jaguars' defense will start this one. - Clayton Freeman

Jacksonville Jaguars predictions: Who do national NFL experts pick to win major Texans game?

Here's a look at what NFL reporters and analysts predict will happen in Sunday afternoon's key Jaguars-Texans game in the AFC South. - Dan Rorabaugh

Snap-tackle-pop: Jaguars long snapper Ross Matiscik loves going downfield to hunt returners

When Jacksonville Jaguars long snapper Ross Matiscik recovered his first career fumble in the NFL on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, he knew exactly what to do.

The fourth-year pro immediately sprinted to the end zone and celebrated with his teammates. After all, he had seen the Jaguars' defense do the same ritual time and time again this season and Matiscik wasn’t going to pass up the chance to celebrate his biggest play as a professional with the players he goes to battle with each week. - Garry Smits

Jaguars hope the second go-around against Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud goes much better

The Jacksonville Jaguars will be the first NFL team to play against Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud twice in Sunday's AFC South showdown. Will facing Stroud a second time, plus having six more games on tape for the defense to dissect, help the Jags' defense? - Garry Smits

'The field is a canvas': Jaguars wide receivers open up about the art of running routes

A sculptor molding wet clay into a solid figure. A painter stroking their brush across a blank surface. A wide receiver using a move to get past a defender?

Art comes in different forms. For pass catchers of the Jaguars, their favorite form of art is route running. You won’t find it in a museum, but more likely, on a short clip from social media. - Juston Lewis

Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence, Texans C.J. Stroud may have entertaining rivalry for next decade

During preseason, Seth Payne saw glimpses of a Houston Texans offense looking better than he anticipated. What the Houston sports radio talk-show host didn’t envision was rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud having the team in playoff contention, emerging as the top threat to the Jacksonville Jaguars repeating as AFC South champions.

Between Stroud lighting it up in Houston and Trevor Lawrence leading the Jaguars in a four-team dogfight for the AFC No. 1 playoff seed, Payne is hoping these young quarterbacks form a rivalry in the next decade that could elevate both franchises to sustained success. - Gene Frenette

Week 12 staff predictions: Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans

Can Trevor Lawrence summon some more magic against the Texans on Sunday at 1 p.m.? The Jaguars are one-point favorites heading into the game. Let's see what our experts have to say. - Tim Walters

Jaguars inactives: CB Tyson Campbell, DT DaVon Hamilton again out for Texans game

There's no change from last week's inactives list. Cornerback Tyson Campbell and defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton are again inactive for the Jaguars for Sunday's game against the Texans, while the other inactives are outside linebacker Yasir Abdullah, wide receiver Elijah Cooks and offensive lineman Cole Van Lanen. - Clayton Freeman

Jaguars at Texans: Upper hand in the AFC South is in the balance as Jags try to avoid sweep

The Jaguars are the first team in the NFL to reach 20 takeaways this season with two last week. Four teams have 19, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Denver and Buffalo. The Jags are tied for first in the NFL with Denver and Buffalo with nine fumble recoveries.

See more key facts, figures and more ahead of today's Jaguars-Texans game. - Garry Smits

What channel is Jaguars-Texans on today? Time, TV schedule for Week 12 Jags game

Here's everything you need to know about the Jaguars-Texans game, including time, TV and streaming info and more. - Dan Rorabaugh

Ranking the importance of the seven remaining games on the Jacksonville Jaguars' schedule

Whether it's a divisional matchup against a red-hot CJ Stroud, a Monday night matchup against a hampered Bengals team, or a New Year's Eve hosting of Bryce Young and the Panthers, the Times-Union has ranked each remaining game. - Juston Lewis

How do Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence and Texans QB C.J. Stroud stack up against each other?

The Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans will be under a spotlight Sunday, but not just because they're vying for the AFC South title. Both teams currently showcase quarterbacks that are expected to be among the best in the league for some time to come.

The Jaguars (7-3) boast third-year QB Trevor Lawrence, who took the league by storm by season's end last year, and the Texans (6-4) have rookie C.J. Stroud, who has exceeded all pre-draft expectations, helping to put the Texans in position to vie for the AFC South title. - Demetrius Harvey

Jaguars have plenty of reason to think 'big' as they head to Houston to face the Texans

It won't take much for the Jacksonville Jaguars (7-3) to get up for Sunday's Week 12 matchup against the Houston Texans (6-4) on the road at NRG Stadium. The game will kick off at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast locally on CBS. The last time the two teams faced off against each other, in Week 3, the Texans won 37-17.

The motivation is simple: clear the road to win the AFC South. - Demetrius Harvey

What time is the Jaguars game?

• When: 1 p.m. Sunday, November 26

• Where: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

What channel is Jaguars-Texans on today?

• TV: CBS (check local listings)

• Streaming: Paramount+ (7-day free trial), NFL Sunday Ticket and NFL+ (out-of-market only), fuboTV (7-day free trial), YouTube TV (2-week free trial), Hulu + Live TV (7-day free trial)

Jaguars vs. Texans can be seen on CBS. Andrew Catalon will be on play-by-play duties with Tiki Barber and Matt Ryan as analysts.

Streaming options include fuboTV, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.

Jaguars-Texans betting odds

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Wednesday, November 22.

• Spread: Jaguars (-1.5)

• Over/under: 48.5 points

• Moneyline: Jaguars -125, Texans +105

Jaguars schedule

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars vs Texans score, updates from NFL Week 12 game in Houston