Josh Allen came up with 1.5 sacks to headline a strong defensive stand late in the fourth quarter, helping the Jacksonville Jaguars edge the host Houston Texans 24-21 on Sunday afternoon.

Jacksonville (8-3) led 24-14 after Brandon McManus made good on a 53-yard field goal with 11:20 remaining in the game.

But the Texans (6-5) rallied, pulling within three when C.J. Stroud found Nico Collins for a 17-yard touchdown with 5:15 left.

After forcing a punt, Houston took over at its own 11-yard line. Allen dropped Stroud for a loss of 15 yards on the fifth play of the drive, but three plays later, the Texans found themselves at the Jaguars’ 37.

That’s when Allen teamed up with Travon Walker for another sack, this one for a loss of 9. Houston would end up getting to 39, but Matt Ammendola didn’t have enough leg on a 58-yard field goal attempt with 29 seconds to go, allowing Jacksonville to escape with the win.

Trevor Lawrence completed 23 of 38 passes for 364 yards, one touchdown and one interception for the Jaguars, who remained atop the AFC South with the victory. Calvin Ridley had five catches for 89 yards and a TD.

Stroud threw for 304 yards and two TDs on 26-for-36 passing. He also rushed for a team-high 47 yards and a score. Collins finished with seven receptions for 104 yards.

Derek Stingley Jr. shifted momentum in Houston’s favor when he picked off Lawrence on the opening drive of the second half.

Seven plays later, Stroud faked a handoff and rolled out to his right, scoring on the ground from 1 yard out to give the Texans their first lead at 14-13.

Ridley was on the receiving end of a 1-yard TD, then brought in the ensuing pass on a two-point conversion to make it 21-14 Jacksonville with 4:29 left in the third.

The Jaguars went into the break with a 13-7 edge.

Jacksonville jumped out to a 10-0 lead thanks to McManus’ 40-yard field goal in the first quarter and Lawrence’s 1-yard rushing touchdown early in the second.

Following Lawrence’s score, the Texans zipped 75 yards in five plays, pulling within 10-7 when Stroud threw a 7-yard scoring strike to Tank Dell.

McManus provided the Jaguars with a six-point advantage by booting a 48-yard field goal with 2:24 remaining in the first half.

–Field Level Media

It’s starting to look like the Houston Texans are ahead of schedule with their rebuild.

Houston is riding a three-game winning streak and will have a chance to take over first place in the AFC South on Sunday when it faces the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars.

After going 11-38 over the previous three seasons, the Texans (6-4) have found a formula for success behind rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud and defensive-minded first-year coach DeMeco Ryans, a former Houston linebacker.

With a victory Sunday, the Texans would share the same record as Jacksonville (7-3) while claiming the top spot in the division by nature of a head-to-head tiebreaker. Houston would improve to 2-0 against the Jaguars this season after beating them back on Sept. 24.

However, taking down the Jaguars doesn’t guarantee an AFC South title by any means, so Ryans is more focused on getting his team ready to perform down the stretch.

“I never thought about this point of the season, because I think if you just take care of it one day at a time, then everything else will take care of itself,” Ryans said. “Our focus is continuing to improve, continue to show growth.”

Stroud, the second overall pick in this year’s draft, has thrown for 1,162 yards with nine total touchdowns (eight passing, one rushing) during the Texans’ winning streak. He also has four interceptions during that span, with three coming in last Sunday’s 21-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

The giveaways by Stroud weren’t enough to fluster Houston’s defense, which has vastly improved from a season ago.

During the 2022 campaign, the Texans ranked 30th in total defense (379.5 yards allowed per game) and 27th in scoring defense (24.7 points allowed per game). But under Ryans, Houston ranks 19th (337.9) and 14th (20.8) in those respective categories.

Still, Jacksonville is sure to present a challenge.

The Jaguars have prevailed in six of their past seven games, averaging 28.3 points across the six wins.

Trevor Lawrence took over in Jacksonville’s most recent victory, last weekend’s 34-14 rout of the Tennessee Titans. Lawrence completed 24 of 32 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for a pair of scores. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week on Wednesday.

Receiver Zay Jones provided a boost for the offense, hauling in four catches for 20 yards while also giving Calvin Ridley (seven receptions, 103 yards, two TDs) and Christian Kirk (three receptions, 48 yards) more room to operate.

Jones had missed the Jaguars’ previous four games due to a knee injury and an arrest, but he’s thrilled to be back, especially with such a big game on deck.

“We know what the implications are as far as our division, and we won’t make it any bigger than that. But we have a healthy respect for what they’re doing in Houston,” Jones said. “We know that we’re gonna have our hands full. … It’s gonna be an exciting matchup.”

That knee injury is still causing some problems for Jones, as he was limited at Wednesday’s practice. Defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris (ankle) was also limited, while cornerback Tyson Campbell (hamstring) was held out.

Defensive end Will Anderson Jr., wide receiver Noah Brown and tackle Laremy Tunsil were among those who didn’t practice for the Texans on Wednesday, and all three are dealing with knee injuries.

Safety Jimmie Ward (hamstring) also was a non-participant, and defensive end Dylan Horton announced that he will be away from the team due to a “personal health matter.”

–Field Level Media