The Houston Texans improved to 8-5 on the regular season after surviving a scare in a 23-20 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Texans, who had lost four of their past six games coming into Sunday’s showdown, improved to 4-1 in the AFC South division.
Joe Mixon kept up his Pro Bowl-esque season after rushing for 101 yards and a touchdown. He joined Tiki Barber of the New York Giants (2004) and Derrick Henry of Tennessee (2020) as the third running back in NFL history with at least 100 yards rushing and a rushing touchdown in six road games in the same season.
“Joe’s an old school running back,” Texans coach Ryans said. “He’s that guy that wants it 30 times, and he keeps getting better the more touches that he gets. So really proud of him to know he’s hurting and still push through. To still turn out yards, even when they’re loading the box, and still being able to find a way to get yards.”
Nico Collins returned to his All-Pro status after catching eight passes for 119 yards, while Dalton Schultz hauled him his first touchdown reception on the season on a 22-yard pass from C.J. Stroud.
Stroud, who didn’t have a turnover for the first time in three games, completed 22 of 34 passes for 242 yards and a score.
The Texans are back in the driver’s seat entering the bye. They sit three games above .500 and have a two-game lead in the divsion standings.
Does Houston feel like one of the better AFC rosters? Right now, not really. The Texans would barely be in the playoff conversation if they played in any other division, but at least seem to be within striking distance of other opponents like the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens.
Meanwhile, Kansas City secured another division title thanks to a questionable finish on “Black Friday.” Just because the Chiefs have one loss doesn’t mean they’re the league’s best roster. Teams like Baltimore, Denver and Detroit are finding ways to win before the schedule becomes daunting down the stretch.
The 2024 season is quickly separating from fighting for a playoff berth to preparing for 2025 and beyond.
Here’s a look at the Week 14 Power Rankings.