THE GAME. THE STORIES. THE WHY.
Independent football coverage●Our standards
whynfl
EXPLOREPower rankingsLeague leadersTeam statsInjuriesTransactionsShortsRivalriesRecordsBye weeksEVENTSSuper BowlPro BowlCombineDraftPlayoffsWeb StoriesALL FOOTBALL. ALL IN.
WEEK 6
  1. ScheduledNONYG
  2. ScheduledHOUJAX
  3. ScheduledCHIATL
  4. ScheduledPITTB
  5. ScheduledNYJNE
  6. ScheduledTENIND
  7. ScheduledBALCLE
  8. ScheduledCARPHI
  9. ScheduledARILAR
  10. Sun 4:25 pmBUFLV
  11. Sun 4:25 pmLACKC
  12. Sun 8:20 pmDALGB
  13. Mon 8:15 pmWASSF
  14. Final / OTSEA14DEN17
Find your next read

Search whynfl

Go deeper on the game you love.
News

Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 49-yarder at the gun beats the Jaguars 34-31 at Wembley after Travis Hunter’s end-zone pick

4 min read Comments
Share ↗
WhatsApp Facebook X
Saved articles

Your reading list is saved on this browser.

Your reaction

C.J. Stroud answered his first interception of the season with a last-minute drive, and Houston won a second straight game to pull within two games of AFC South leader Jacksonville.

w.
WhyNFL Sports DeskPublished
C.J. Stroud in an Ohio State uniform dropping back to pass
C.J. Stroud at Ohio State before the Texans drafted him. Photo by Maize and Blue Nation, CC-BY-2.0, cropped and resized.

Ka’imi Fairbairn hit a 49-yard field goal as time ran out, and the Houston Texans beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-31 at Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday, October 18, less than two minutes after Travis Hunter’s interception in the end zone had let Jacksonville tie the game.

The win was Houston’s second in a row and lifted the Texans to 2-4, two games behind the Jaguars (4-2) in the AFC South. Houston stood at the same 2-4 mark at this stage last season and still finished 12-5 with a wild-card place.

How the finish unfolded

Houston led 31-28 and was driving to put the game away when C.J. Stroud forced a throw into the end zone. Hunter, playing both ways again, came down with it. The Jaguars moved into range, and Little drilled a 60-yard field goal with 1:55 left to make it 31-31.

Stroud, who had not thrown an interception all season, got the ball back with under two minutes left and moved Houston far enough for Fairbairn, whose kick was the last play of the afternoon.

Coach DeMeco Ryans said his quarterback came to him after the pick and told him not to worry. “When a player tells me that, that just gives me the confidence that I need,” Ryans said. Stroud called the interception a plain mistake and said he tries “to flush my failures and flush my successes and just move on.”

Every score

  • First quarter, 5:13: Stroud 6-yard pass to Foster Moreau, Fairbairn kick. Texans 7-0.
  • Second quarter, 6:47: Trevor Lawrence 27-yard pass to Bhayshul Tuten, Little kick. 7-7.
  • Second quarter, 4:16: Fairbairn 25-yard field goal. Texans 10-7.
  • Second quarter, 0:55: Lawrence 2-yard pass to Tuten, Little kick. Jaguars 14-10.
  • Second quarter, 0:08: Stroud 1-yard pass to Moreau, Fairbairn kick. Texans 17-14.
  • Third quarter, 9:21: Stroud 13-yard pass to Jaylin Noel, Fairbairn kick. Texans 24-14.
  • Third quarter, 2:34: Lawrence 1-yard pass to Nate Boerkircher, Little kick. Texans 24-21.
  • Third quarter, 0:50: Jawhar Jordan 25-yard run, Fairbairn kick. Texans 31-21.
  • Fourth quarter, 11:26: Lawrence 7-yard pass to Hunter, Little kick. Texans 31-28.
  • Fourth quarter, 1:55: Little 60-yard field goal. 31-31.
  • Fourth quarter, 0:00: Fairbairn 49-yard field goal. Texans 34-31.

The numbers that mattered

Stroud threw for 312 yards on 24-of-34 passing with three touchdowns and the one interception. Noel was his biggest weapon: four catches, 107 yards, a 50-yard gain and the touchdown that opened a 24-14 lead. That drive stayed alive only because Jacksonville was flagged for having too many men on the field during a Houston punt, one of six penalties against the Jaguars for 66 yards.

Nico Collins added three catches for 74 yards. Marvin Harrison Jr., acquired from Arizona in a trade this week, made three catches for 34 yards in his Texans debut. Woody Marks ran 15 times for 56 yards, and Jordan’s 25-yard burst late in the third quarter rebuilt a 10-point cushion after Jacksonville had pulled within three.

Lawrence matched the 24 completions on 41 attempts, threw for 306 yards and four touchdowns, and was picked off once by Calen Bullock. Tuten caught two of the scores, and Jakobi Meyers led the Jaguars with five catches for 83 yards. Hunter had four catches for 59 yards, the touchdown and the interception, a rare double for one player in a single game.

The teams were nearly even: 426 yards to 412, no sacks on either side and one turnover each.

A slippery afternoon

Rain before kickoff left the Wembley grass slick. Umpire Larry Smith slipped, hurt his knee in the first quarter and left on a cart. Later, Dalton Schultz lost his footing just short of a first down in the red zone, which led to Fairbairn’s 25-yard field goal.

Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was checked for a concussion in the second quarter and returned in the third; safety Reed Blankenship left in the first half. For Jacksonville, Ameer Abdullah needed help off the field after one of his returns and later went back in. Liam Coen said he was proud of how his team kept fighting from 10 points down.

What comes next

The Texans host the New York Giants on Sunday, October 25, at 1 p.m. EDT, before their Week 8 bye. The Jaguars head home for their bye week and return against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, November 1, at 1 p.m. EST.

Box score and drive chart: Texans vs. Jaguars Game Center.

The why matters.

See something that needs a second look? Read our corrections policy.

Join the conversation

Use a name or stay anonymous. No account or email required. Comments are reviewed before appearing.

Up to 3,000 characters

No published comments yet. Start the conversation.