Kareem Jackson sets a good tone with an early pick-six.
Unit scores for first time this season with pick-six among pair of takeaways
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The football traveled slowly toward the sideline, a telegraphed pass from Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles that was intended for wide receiver Allen Hurns.
And Texans cornerback Kareem Jackson anticipated the throw the entire way, reading Bortles’ eyes once he began staring down Hurns on an out pattern.
Jackson intercepted the pass and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown. It marked the Texans’ first defensive score of the season, staking them to an early lead six plays into their 24-21 victory Sunday at EverBank Field.
“I anticipated and got a good break on the ball,” Jackson said following his first interception of the season. “It was big for the team and important for us to get off to a good start like that early in the game. We felt like we needed to bring our own energy and to start off the game like that was huge for us. He made a late throw and I was able to step in and make the play.”
Held off comeback attempt
Bortles’ decision to throw it toward Hurns with Jackson sitting on the route was a failure, one he acknowledged afterward.
“I’ve got to throw it earlier or move on and get off the first read and get it to somebody else,” said Bortles, who has thrown 11 interceptions. “I thought it was a pretty good play on his part, but you never want to start a game like that. If I had to do it over again, I would have gotten off of him, because even if Hurns catches it, it would have been fourthand-1. I mean, not a smart play.”
Because the Texans were so opportunistic on defense, they were able to hold off a late comeback attempt engineered by Bortles. The Texans entered Sunday ranked 29th in turnover margin having just six turnovers on three interceptions and three fumble recoveries during the first half of the regular season.
Against the Jaguars, however, they had two turnovers in the first half. That included a strange play where Bortles bounced the football off the foot of running back T.J. Yeldon for a fumble that was recovered on the fly by outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus.
“I’ve never seen that,” Bortles said. “From the time you start playing quarterback, they tell you if the screen is covered to throw it at his feet. I was trying to make a smart play, live to play another down and then that happens. It was unfortunate, but stuff like that happens from time to time and you’ve got to deal with it and bounce back from it.”
Bortles bounced back in the final minutes of the fourth quarter as he connected with Pro Bowl wide receiver Allen Robinson, who beat Jackson, on a 14yard touchdown pass. Robinson caught a two-point conversion pass, again with Jackson covering, on the ensuing play to close the Texans’ lead to three points.
“I wouldn’t say bend, but don’t break,” Jackson said. “It’s the NFL. You’re not going to always come out and dominate every Sunday even though you want to. They extended some plays, but we kind of struggled getting off on third downs. We made the plays that really counted.”
The Jaguars converted 10 of 17 third downs, a 59 percent success rate that extended drives and prevented the Texans’ second-ranked passing defense from putting them away.
“They hung in there, they battled,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “I thought they came up with some big stops when they had to. It was a good team effort.”
Bortles was sacked twice, once by rookie nose tackle D.J. Reader and once by outside linebacker John Simon. He also eluded pressure to buy himself time and kept the Jaguars competitive.
“He’s an athlete,” Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph said of Bortles. “Obviously, he can throw the ball. He can run the ball. He’s tough to bring down. Some things might not go in your favor, but it’s about playing the whole game.”
Strong performance overall
The Texans were short-handed on defense, playing without nickel cornerback A.J. Bouye, who sprained his ankle during practice Friday, along with fivetime Pro Bowl nose tackle Vince Wilfork, who missed his first game of the year with a groin injury.
“That’s the way it is sometimes,” Joseph said. “You’re not going to have all your weapons, all of your bullets, but everybody on this team has their role.”
The Texans were effective at containing the Jaguars’ running game, limiting Yeldon (nine carries, 32 yards) and Chris Ivory (nine carries, 31 yards).
Despite some breakdowns in pass coverage, it was a strong performance by the defense as the Texans won their first road game of the season.
“It’s always tough when you can’t get off on third downs,” Jackson said. “They did a good job of extending plays, Bortles did.
“At the end of the day, we got the win and that’s all that matters.”