McClain: Texans are in first place, thanks to their defense

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Texans made their third consecutive outstanding performance in the 20-7 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

The Texans limited the Jaguars to 259 yards. Quarterback Blake Bortles was so severely defeated that he was sidelined and imposed three decisive turnovers in a fourth consecutive victory that left them alone in first place in the AFC South. with a 4-3 record.

The Texans were quick to celebrate because Brock Osweiler and the Miami Dolphins will be heading to NRG Stadium for a national televised game on Thursday night.

"After the start of the season, it feels good," said defender J.J. Watt said. "We have a quick turnaround and a chance to feel even better. We want to make sure we rest and do what we need to do. We still have a long way to go, but being able to play four games in a row, especially after the start of the game, is encouraging. "

The Texans did not make sales for the first time since Deshaun Watson's first departure to Cincinnati last season. This 21-game streak was broken against the Jaguars.

The turnarounds that the defense forced contributed to the victory. Whitney Mercilus forced a fumble Jadeveon Clowney recovered to set up an investment. Zach Cunningham forced a fumble Kareem Jackson recovered to establish a touchdown.

The interception of Tyrann Mathieu at the Texans' match on the 26th, when there was only 5:30, prevented the Jaguars from making it a match at one point.

"We just tried to do some of the things we had done in recent weeks: play fast, start fast and, of course, create turnovers," said Mathieu, who intercepted a pass and recorded a bag. "I thought we had done a great job in this area. I thought we had done a good job defensively. We had turnovers and gave the ball to the offensive in good situations. "

The Texans were hard on Bortles, conceding a third consecutive loss to the Jaguars on the same day that Tennessee lost to the Los Angeles Chargers in London, while the Texans took first place at AFC South.

Bortles had 61 yards on 12 yards for 61 yards when he lost a second fumble at the start of the third quarter, allowing a touchdown. Coach Doug Marrone withdrew Bortles and replaced him with Cody Kessler, a three-year veteran.

"I was pretty surprised," said Mathieu. "It's their franchise guy and obviously he did not start well. I thought that they were going to stay with him throughout the game and just change things. "

The Texans executed their plan for Bortles perfectly.

"We tried to get him into situations where he could not launch quickly and put pressure on him," said Watt. "He's a great runner and we knew he could do some things with his feet. When he tried to make some movements with his feet today, the guys who hit the ball were good. "

Clowney was at the forefront of Texan domination. Returning to the stage where he sparked controversy last season by calling Bortles "waste" after the quarterback had racked up 329 yards and three touchdowns, Clowney played like a fugitive locomotive. He had seven tackles unassisted, two sacks, four hits for quarterbacks and two tackles for defeat.

"It's something (the domination) we're proud of," said Clowney. "I expect that from us. We have a lot of good players in this defense. When everyone is on the same page and we are stuck, we can dominate the game. "

The defense has allowed a touchdown in each of the last three games. With Sunday's performance, the defense went to the Miami game by allocating 329.8 yards, of which 92.1 to rush and 237.7 to pass.

The Texans did not allow a runner to run more than 82 yards. They yielded only one touchdown, the second least in Chicago (none).

The defense was so good against the race that Bortles led Jacksonville with 30 yards.

"We have faced adversity, and for us, dominating and leading our division is very important," Clowney said of the 0-3 win. "It was a stepping stone to first place. We came here knowing we had to win this game and we were determined not to go without a win. "

The Texans overcame the injuries of goaltender Zach Fulton and cornerback Shareece Wright, as well as Ryan Griffin's illness. They lost receiver Keke Coutee following another hamstring injury.

Jackson played the corner half. Greg Mancz replaced Fulton. Offensive back Tyler Ervin played in the slot as receiver. Rookies Jordan Akins and Jordan Thomas replaced Griffin.

But Texans continue to overcome adversity and take up business after starting the season with losses of seven, three and five points.

"I think we started to believe more," said Mathieu about the transformation. "Nobody was negative. We all know that we were really close to winning the (games). We kept working and spreading a lot of the outside noise.

"Every time you win four games in a row, you set a standard. I think it's a standard we have to follow – especially as it's a short week. We have to overcome this match. It was a great match and a big win, but we must recover quickly. "