Jaguars Up-Down drill: The good, the bad and the ugly from Houston Texans game

The good, the bad and the ugly from the Jaguars’ 31-3 victory over the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium.

Up/Down: Prime time exposure

The Jaguars’ fans yearning for prime-time national attention will get their wish Saturday night (8:15 p.m.) when ESPN airs their AFC South-deciding showdown against the Tennessee Titans, which will also simulcast on ABC.

The downside, of course, is the Jaguars have one less day of rest in between games.

Since Tennessee played Thursday night against the Dallas Cowboys, they still get eight days of rest going into the biggest matchup between the division rivals since the 1999 AFC Championship game, won 33-14 by the Titans.

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Up/Down: Travis Etienne

The Jaguars' explosive running back provided the day's biggest highlight reel when he scooted off left tackle for a 62-yard touchdown in the second quarter, but Etienne (9 carries, 108 yards) continues to have ball security issues.

He dropped a perfect pitch from quarterback Trevor Lawrence on the team's second series, losing 5 yards after recovering the ball.

That killed a promising drive into Texans' territory after Etienne got the Jaguars there on a 27-yard run.

It was Etienne's sixth fumble of the season, four of which opponents recovered.

Up: On playoff track

By winning their fourth consecutive game for only the second time in the last 14 years, the Jaguars maintained critical momentum going into the monumental season finale against the Titans.

The Jaguars opened as a 7-point favorite. Instead of absorbing a 10th straight loss to Houston, the 8-8 Jaguars reached .500 this late in the season for the first time since 2017 when they last made the playoffs as a division champion.

They eventually lost 24-20 in the AFC title game to the New England Patriots.

Up: Homefield disadvantage

This was the least hostile road environment the Jaguars encountered all season.

With the 2-13-1 Texans having the NFL’s worst record and playing on New Year’s Day, most of the 72,220 seats were empty, though the paid attendance was listed as 64,581.

The Jaguars scoring on their first possession off a 5-yard JaMycal Hasty touchdown run only diminished whatever home-field edge the Texans enjoyed.

The 28-point win matched the victory margin from a 38-10 road conquest of the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3.

Both are the largest road win margins since a 33-3 victory against the Minnesota Vikings in 2001.

Up: Josh Allen resurgence

After going sackless in a career-high eight consecutive games from Oct. 9-Dec. 4, the Jaguars’ outside linebacker has registered three sacks in the last four games to seize the team lead with 6.0.

Allen’s sack of Davis Mills in the second quarter forced a fumble, which was eventually picked up by Tyson Campbell and returned 12 yards for a touchdown, the first score this season off a fumble return.

Allen also had a game-high three QB hits to raise his team-leading total in that department to 20.

Up: Indoors in January

It would have made a compelling TV spectacle and difficult throwing conditions if the Texans played in an outdoor stadium because a heavy fog enveloped Houston for most of the game, which also explains why the NRG Stadium roof was closed.

Fortunately, the Jaguars kept the Texans and the NFL’s worst offense in a fog the whole game.

The loss ensured Houston would remain No. 1 in the NFL draft pecking order — access to Alabama quarterback Bryce Young or Ohio State’s CJ Stroud — if they lose next week to the Indianapolis Colts or the Chicago Bears (3-13) win at home against the Minnesota Vikings.

Up: A grand accomplishment

After falling 18 yards short of his first 1,000-yard season with the Arizona Cardinals last year, receiver Christian Kirk broke through that barrier on the Jaguars’ first play from scrimmage.

He turned a short pass from Trevor Lawrence into a 13-yard gain to put Kirk at 1,001 yards for the season.

He added an 8-yard reception later in the first quarter for his only other catch on three total targets.

Kirk is the Jaguars’ first 1,000-yard receiver since DJ Chark in 2019.

Up: Stingy defense

After Mike Caldwell’s unit went through a shaky period that culminated with a 40-14 road loss to the Detroit Lions, the Jaguars have rebounded with nine takeaways in their last four games.

In the past two weeks, the defense has allowed only a field goal to both the New York Jets and Houston.

It marked the first time since the first two weeks of the 2001 season against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee that the Jaguars went back-to-back games without allowing a touchdown.

The six points allowed in back-to-back weeks were the fewest in franchise history.

The Texans gained 64 of their 277 yards on the game’s final possession in the last 1:54.

Up: Beathard sighting

For only the second time this season, backup quarterback C.J. Beathard got to throw the ball after replacing Lawrence with 5:44 remaining in the third quarter.

He ended up completing 5 of 8 passes for 29 yards and also had an interception.

Beathard was out there for 19 plays, the most action he’s seen in his two seasons as a Jaguar.

The last time Beathard played longer was a season-ending start two years ago for the San Francisco 49ers when he completed 25 of 37 passes for 273 yards in a 26-23 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Up: AFC South turnaround

One of the biggest reasons the Jaguars have struggled so much to be a consistent playoff contender is they have a 46-79 record in divisional play since the NFL went to a four-team, eight-division format in 2002.

But with wins the past month against Tennessee and Houston, the Jaguars are 3-2 in AFC South play.

They can finish with a rare winning record within the division for only the third time (2017, 2005) by beating Tennessee on Saturday night.

Up: Sizing up playoff foes

Besides getting fired up for the AFC showdown game against the Titans, one of the fun exercises for Jaguars’ fans this week will be contemplating who the team might host in an AFC wild-card game next week.

While the Jaguars are still not eliminated from the last wild card spot and a cold-weather road trip if they lose to Tennessee — they'd require losses by the Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots so all finish with 8-9 records.

The more likely playoff route is beating Tennessee to get the No. 4 AFC seed and a home game.

The AFC South champion will host the AFC North runner-up (Cincinnati Bengals/Baltimore Ravens) or the Los Angeles Chargers to begin its postseason.

The Jaguars own wins over both the Chargers and Ravens.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars Up-Down drill: the good, bad and ugly from Houston Texans game