The Jacksonville Jaguars solidified themselves as a contender at the top of the AFC on Sunday with a win over the Houston Texans. Jacksonville came away with a 24-21 victory in a game that went down to the wire.
The Jaguars are now the 3rd seed in the AFC with an 8-3 record. They hold a commanding lead in the AFC South after their win over the Texans, and are neck and neck with the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs, who hold the first and second seeds, respectively.
Jacksonville's win over Houston keeps the team in the race for the AFC's No. 1 playoff seed. It was a good all-around performance for the Jaguars against a surging divisional rival. Trevor Lawrence and company will look to build on this win moving forward and try to earn the top seed in the AFC.
With that said, here are the Jaguars' biggest heroes from their crucial Week 12 win over the Texans.
Jaguars' pass rush
Jacksonville's pass rush was pivotal in getting the win over the Texans. While Houston is a young team, its passing attack, led by rookie star C.J. Stroud, has been potent. Neutralizing an elite passing team can be difficult, but putting pressure on the quarterback is a great way to stop it. The Jaguars pass rush put their stamp on the game with four sacks.
Josh Allen led the way with 2.5 sacks and four quarterback hits. Roy Robertson-Harris contributed a sack, while Travon Walker had 0.5 sacks. The pressure came up big on the Texans' final drive, as the Jaguars came up with two sacks.
The pressure on the drive eventually forced Houston to kick a 58-yard field goal to tie the game, which missed. Jacksonville's pass rush was crucial to stopping the Texans' great passing attack with the game on the line.
Trevor Lawrence
Trevor Lawrence has established himself as a borderline elite quarterback in the NFL. Against Houston, Lawrence went 23-of-38 for 364 yards with one touchdown through the air, adding a score on the ground.
While Lawrence threw an interception, he helped the Jaguars get down the field throughout the game. Jacksonville's rushing attack struggled mightily, with 30 carries for 81 yards. That's an average of 2.7 yards per carry, which won't cut it. This forced the Jags to lean on Lawrence and the passing attack. While it only resulted in one passing touchdown, Lawrence was able to get the Jags in scoring position multiple times and help them get a key win.
Calvin Ridley and Christian Kirk
In the win, Calvin Ridley and Christian Kirk were dynamic for Jacksonville's offense. Ridley finished the game with five receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown and a two-point conversion caught by Ridley gave the Jags a seven-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Kirk continued to be one of Lawrence's favorite targets, as he had four receptions for 89 yards against his former team. Kirk is now up to 56 receptions for 761 yards and three touchdowns. While Ridley was the huge addition this offseason, Kirk has been the top target for Lawrence.
Both players are talented, and the Jags offense is finding a way to utilize all of their weapons.
This was a massive win for Jacksonville, giving them a great chance of winning the AFC South. The Jaguars will look to continue their great play this week against the Cincinnati Bengals as they make a push for the one seed in the AFC.
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