The Jacksonville Jaguars lost 34-31 to the Houston Texans on Oct. 18 at Wembley Stadium in London, United Kingdom, despite a fourth-quarter comeback sparked by Travis Hunter. The second-year cornerback and wide receiver caught a touchdown pass before intercepting C.J. Stroud in the end zone on Houston’s ensuing possession.
Hunter caught four passes for 59 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown reception from Trevor Lawrence that cut the Texans’ lead to 31-28 with 11:26 remaining in the fourth quarter. On second-and-goal from the 4-yard line during the next Texans possession, Hunter intercepted Stroud in the end zone. The Jaguars tied the game 31-31 on the following possession, but Houston won by three points.
Hunter became the first NFL player since 2002 with a touchdown reception and an interception in the same game. He also was penalized for pass interference late in the first half before making an extensive offensive impact after halftime. Jaguars rookie tight end Nate Boerkircher said, “It’s crazy to see a guy play both ways, especially in the league. He’s a great player.”
Hunter gave Jacksonville a fourth-quarter spark
Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen said Hunter’s role must continue to fit within the offense while allowing Jacksonville to use his playmaking ability. “That’s who he is,” Coen said. “We have to keep getting him the ball and keep building off of it and making sure it fits within the rhythm and flow of the game. He definitely helped us in a position to win that game today.”
Lawrence also credited Hunter with providing momentum during the comeback. “Travis played awesome, made some huge plays for us. Gave us a spark. We always have a plan for him and it seemed like we got all those called today which was great and he was making plays,” Lawrence said.
Hunter’s touchdown and interception were the key plays in a sequence that erased Houston’s lead and put Jacksonville in position to win. The Jaguars ultimately could not complete the comeback at Wembley Stadium.
Jaguars ran against Houston’s defense
Jacksonville finished with 412 total yards and 24 first downs, including 106 rushing yards on 27 carries. Chris Rodriguez Jr. led the Jaguars with 55 rushing yards on 11 carries, while Bhayshul Tuten added 39 yards on 12 carries. The Texans entered the game ranked third in the NFL against the run.
“That run defense has been pretty good,” Coen said. “I don’t think we ended up with the yards that we would have liked but I thought we grinded out some drives. They were doing some things early on to kind of mess with the run game and mess with some things that you got to give them credit for early, but I thought we adjusted well and they ran hard. They ran really hard and gave us a chance, at least, to win it.”
Tuten also caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Lawrence. The Jaguars finished their final three red-zone possessions with touchdown passes from Lawrence: a 2-yard score to Tuten, a 1-yard score to Boerkircher and Hunter’s 7-yard touchdown.
Brian Thomas Jr. played only the first half
Brian Thomas Jr. played 15 snaps in the first half and did not play after halftime. He dropped a second-and-7 pass from Lawrence on Jacksonville’s opening drive, which ended with a punt three plays later. Thomas also was targeted late in the first half on a play that would have moved the Jaguars into position for a long field goal if completed.
Thomas was a Pro Bowl selection following his 2024 rookie season and caught a touchdown pass two weeks earlier in Jacksonville’s victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Coen said, “It’s week to week; guys have to have to step up and make plays.” Lawrence said the Jaguars must continue creating opportunities for Thomas.
“We just have to keep working, keep plugging away, keep finding opportunities to give him shots at the ball and I think for him, just keep playing and let the ball find you. That’s the big thing, is don’t try to chase too much and obviously we need to get him involved more. We’re going to need him,” Lawrence said.
Quarterbacks produced without a sack
Stroud completed 24 of 34 passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Lawrence completed 24 of 41 passes for 306 yards and four touchdowns with one interception. Neither team recorded a sack.
The Texans had three hits on Lawrence, while the Jaguars had two hits on Stroud. Coen pointed to the Wembley Stadium surface and the setting when discussing the limited pass-rush production.
“The surface, obviously,” Coen said. “I didn’t feel like we were under a ton of duress, either. I think that venue benefits the offense in a lot of ways in terms of the pass rush. If we weren’t feeling them (the Texans), they probably didn’t feel us.”
Red-zone improvement was not enough
The Jaguars scored touchdowns on three of four red-zone possessions after failing to score a touchdown on three trips inside the opponent’s 20-yard line in their victory over the Philadelphia Eagles the previous week. The lone touchdown-less red-zone possession against Houston came in the second quarter, when Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter intercepted Lawrence in the end zone to preserve a 7-0 lead.
Jacksonville had scored touchdowns on nine of 11 red-zone possessions in Weeks 1-4. The Jaguars’ late red-zone efficiency helped them tie the game in the fourth quarter, but the response did not produce a victory in London.
FSB Take
Hunter’s performance gave Jacksonville a verified two-way difference-maker in the most important stretch of the game. His touchdown reception reduced the deficit, and his end-zone interception immediately gave the Jaguars another opportunity to tie the score.
The Jaguars also finished three of their final four red-zone possessions with touchdowns and ran for 106 yards against a Houston defense that entered the game ranked third in the NFL against the run. Those developments were not enough to overcome the Texans’ 34-31 advantage, but they defined Jacksonville’s strongest response at Wembley Stadium.
Source: Original report