Texans Rally in London, but Coach Ryans Stresses Continued Improvement

The Houston Texans are returning from London with a significant victory, having defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-31 in a dramatic finish at Wembley Stadium. Despite the thrilling win, which improved their record to 2-4, coach DeMeco Ryans highlighted that the team still has considerable work ahead to recover from an initial four-game losing streak.

Ryans expressed pride in his team's resilience and response to adversity. "You're going to have difficult moments, but that one moment doesn't define you," he stated. "It's all about how you respond to it and I love the response that our team has given us... I love where our team is right now."

The Texans' victory was sealed by a last-second 49-yard field goal from Ka’imi Fairbairn, following a late Jaguars field goal that had tied the game. This win was particularly notable for a team that had lost three previous games in the final quarter. "It's always great for us to close games out," Ryans commented. "We stumbled along there early in the season when we didn't finish games, but we found a way (Sunday) to continue to play complementary football, all three phases, really having an impact on this game."

A significant boost for the Texans was the debut of receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., acquired via trade from Arizona. The fourth overall pick in the 2024 draft recorded three receptions for 34 yards in his limited action, reuniting him with former Ohio State teammate C.J. Stroud. "It felt like old times and I'm proud of him, happy for him," Stroud said. "I thought he looked great, looked like he was excited to be out there. And we'll get him more touches and more plays here in the season."

Quarterback C.J. Stroud continues to perform at a high level despite throwing his first interception of the season against Jacksonville. He completed 24 of 34 passes for 312 yards and a season-high three touchdowns. Stroud currently ranks second in the NFL with 1,714 passing yards and leads the league with 25 completions of at least 20 yards, having spread the ball to 10 different receivers in the recent game. "C.J. has been hot all year and he's still hot," Ryans said. "He's lighting it up. He's dishing the ball around to a lot of different people, doesn't matter who it is. Everybody who has an opportunity, they're open, they're getting the football."

The Texans' usually dominant pass rush, featuring Will Anderson Jr. (NFL leader with 7 ½ sacks) and Danielle Hunter, was unable to sack Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney was flagged for defensive offside, and the team incurred a 12-men-on-the-field penalty.

Offensively, running back Jawhar Jordan contributed significantly, scoring his first career touchdown after being promoted from the practice squad. Tight end Foster Moreau had a standout game, catching two passes for touchdowns, marking his first career multi-touchdown game and the first for a Houston tight end since 2023.

Looking ahead, wide receiver Tank Dell is expected to play in the upcoming game after recovering from a knee injury sustained in December 2024. Running back David Montgomery is likely to miss another game due to a groin injury, while safety Reed Blankenship sustained a concussion, and safety Jalen Pitre missed the London game with a shoulder injury.

Stroud’s interception against Jacksonville ended a franchise-record streak of 216 consecutive pass attempts without an interception to start a season.

The Texans will aim to extend their winning streak to three games when they host the New York Giants on Sunday, prior to their bye week.