Defensive end lifts Texans in finale — MVP in offing?
HOUSTON — J.J. Watt’s record-setting season wasn’t quite enough to get the Houston Texans to the playoffs.
Watt had three sacks, a safety and a forced fumble to strengthen his case for MVP and lead the Texans to a 23-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
The Texans (9-7) had a shot at making the playoffs, but Baltimore beat Cleveland 20-10 to claim the final AFC wild-card spot.
“I wasn’t ready for it to end, that’s for sure,” Watt said.
Andre Johnson had a season-high 134 yards receiving and a touchdown for Houston, which made a seven-game improvement under first-year head coach Bill O’Brien over last season’s 2-14 record .
“These guys have a lot of be proud of,” O’Brien said. “But at the end of the day, you can’t leave it up to somebody else. You’ve got to control your own fate.”
Johnson gave Houston a 21-17 lead with an 8-yard reception early in the fourth quarter. Watt made it 23-17 when he sacked Blake Bortles in the end zone a few minutes later. The sack gave him 20½ this season, making him the first player in NFL history with two seasons with 20 or more sacks. He also had 20½ when he won Defensive Player of the Year in 2012.
Watt finished the season with 29 tackles for loss and 50 quarterback hits, which both lead the NFL.
The Jaguars (3-13) had a chance to take the lead late, but Cecil Shorts III was out of bounds on a catch on fourth down.
Bortles threw for 117 yards as he struggled to move the offense for most of the day under nearconstant pressure from Watt and the Texans de- fense.
Watt danced to the song “Turn Down For What” after returning to the sideline after his safety. The defensive end, who has scored five touchdowns this season, smiled as the sellout crowd chanted “MVP, MVP.”
“It’s pretty special,” Watt said. “As an athlete, that’s one of the coolest things of all time, to have a stadium do a chant for you.”