|
HOUSTON (Ticker) -- The
Jacksonville Jaguars
have already matched last year's win total. The
Houston Texans
are 3-3 for the first time in the three-year history of the franchise.
The AFC South rivals meet Sunday at Reliant Stadium, the site of Super Bowl XXXVIII. The teams will play a second time on December 26 at Alltel Stadium, the site of Super Bowl XXXIX.
No team can top the Jaguars when it comes to frantic finishes. All five of their wins have been decided by key plays in the final minute.
The latest chapter to a magical season was scripted last week - a 27-24 victory over the
Indianapolis Colts
on a season-high 53-yard field goal by rookie
Josh Scobee
with 38 seconds left.
Second-year quarterback
Byron Leftwich
, who completed 23-of-30 passes for 300 yards, directed the Jaguars to scoring drives on their last three possessions. Veteran
Jimmy Smith
caught five passes for 113 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown with 6:14 left.
"We go as far as Byron takes us," Smith said. "He's a leader out there. When the pressure is at its highest, that's when he's at his best."
On October 17, Leftwich threw a 14-yard touchdown to
Cortez Hankton
with 52 seconds remaining to give the Jaguars a 22-16 triumph over Kansas City.
In a season-opening 13-10 victory at Buffalo,
Ernest Wilford
made a leaping catch in the end zone on the game's final play. In Week Two, Jaguars linebacker
Akin Ayodele
recovered a fumble by
Quentin Griffin
at the Jacksonville 21 with 31 seconds left to preserve a 7-6 victory over the
Denver Broncos
. On September 26,
Fred Taylor
's one-yard run with nine seconds left lifted the Jaguars to a 15-12 victory at Tennessee.
"We expect to win every game we play," Leftwich said.
Houston is pretty satisfied with its quarterback
David Carr
, the No. 1 overall pick in 2002. Carr ranks third in the AFC with a quarterback rating of 97.8, completing 64 percent of his passes for 1,641 yards and eight touchdowns with five interceptions.
The tandem of Carr to
Andre Johnson
is quickly becoming one of the best in the NFL. Johnson, the third overall pick in the 2003 draft, has 33 receptions for 591 yards, an average of 17.9 yards per catch.
The Texans posted a dramatic 24-20 victory over Jacksonville here last year with some late-game magic of their own. After a fumble by Leftwich, Carr dove in for a one-yard touchdown on the game's final play. On 1st-and-goal from inside the 1 with two seconds left, the Texans went for the win and Carr dove over the top for the winning score.
Carr missed the rematch last December in Jacksonville due to the flu and the Jaguars rolled to a 27-0 rout. Taylor rushed for 163 yards and a touchdown.
With Taylor carrying the offense, Leftwich didn't try to force any plays and completed 18-of-29 passes for 194 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown to Smith.
Matchup to watch: Smith faces rookie right cornerback
Dunta Robinson
, who leads the team with three interceptions.
Series: Tied, 2-2.
Next week: Jacksonville is in a bye Houston visits Denver on November 7
|
