In week 6 of the 2026 NFL season, the Houston Texans took on the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. This AFC South showdown was a thrilling shootout. The Houston Texans won the game 34-31 with a 49-yard walk-off field goal from kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn. There is a lot to unpack from this game, but if summarized in one sentence, it would be: the Texans' offense is great, but the Texans' defense is disappointing. The defense failed to do much of anything outside of a Calen Bullock interception (ESPN.com). However, the Texans got lucky on that drive, as the Jaguars would have scored prior to the interception, but the refs called a very questionable holding call on the Jaguars (it wasn't holding).  Without that lucky (and inaccurate) call, the Texans' defense would have been completely disappointing. The defensive line generated almost zero pressure on Trevor Lawrence, who often had all day to throw. The Texans had 0 sacks as a team (ESPN.com). This often left the secondary in bad spots. Additionally, the defense wasn't physical enough to stop the run and often missed tackles. Jaguars running backs Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Bayshul Tuten combined for 23 carries for 94 yards, which is an average of about 4 yards per carry (ESPN.com). The Jaguars were able to impose their will on the ground with little challenge. Even with the return of Henry To'oto'o and Kayden McDonald, the defense struggled immensely. However, even on a day when the defense was very poor, the offense executed and found a way to win. Throughout the game, the passing offense was on fire, and Cj Stroud played, dare I say, better than he did in his rookie season. Cj Stroud completed 24/34 of his passes for 312 yards and 3 touchdowns. Cj did throw his first interception of the season inside the Jaguars' 10-yard line, but he moved on and led the Texans down the field for the game-winning field goal, instead of further unraveling as he did against the Patriots last year (ESPN.com).  Additionally, the receiver room has never looked better, and there were several explosives this game. Jaylin Noel led the pack with 4 catches for 107 yards and a touchdown, and Nico Collins had 3 catches for 74 yards (while also drawing several important DPIs). The offense had several explosive plays: a 42-yard pass to Nico Collins to set up a touchdown, a 34-yard passing play to Jaylin Noel to set up a field goal, and a 50-yard pass to Jaylin Noel to set up a touchdown.  Marvin Harrison Jr. slowly eased his way into the game, but still looked pretty good. Marvin Harrison Jr. had 3 catches (on 4 targets) for 34 yards and helped keep the chains moving for the Texans' offense (ESPN.com). In the red zone, tight end Foster Moreau took over, with 2 touchdown catches for 7 yards.  The run game was largely unsuccessful in the first half, but in the second half the Texans began to wear down the Jacksonville defense, and the Texans ended up having a relatively successful day on the ground. The two Texans' backs (Woody Marks and Jawhar Jordan) combined for 99 yards on 21 carries (about 4.7 yards per carry). Jawhar Jordan also scored a 25-yard touchdown on the ground (ESPN.com). The Jacksonville defense was completely unable to stop the Texans' air attack and, late in the game, was finished off by the Texans' ground attack. Finally, I have to credit Ka'imi Fairbairn, who was 2/2 and kicked a 49-yard game-winner for the Texans (ESPN.com). This win keeps the Texans' postseason hopes alive and puts them back in the mix for the AFC South. The rest of the schedule looks much more friendly than the beginning of it was, so the question is now whether or not the Texans can go on a run. Tank Dell and Jalen Pitre should both return within a couple of weeks. Two questions will be answered: Will Tank Dell look like his regular self? Can Jalen Pitre help revitalize a struggling secondary? Hopefully the answer to both will be yes, because if they are, the Texans could become the team to beat in the AFC. 

CJ Stroud is the player of the week, but Jaylin Noel is without a doubt right there with him and deserves an honorable mention. However, due to quarterback bias I have selected Stroud. Apart from Cj's red-zone interception, he played just about perfectly. Cj completed 24 passes out of his 34 attempts for 312 yards and 3 touchdowns. Stroud made several perfect passes, such as a 50-yard dime to Jaylin Noel and an absolutely perfectly placed pass to Foster Moreau for a goal-line touchdown (ESPN.com). Cj played at an elite level all game and was the main reason the Texans' offense was able to win the game. Even after Cj threw an interception inside the Jaguars ' 10-yard line, he moved on and didn't let it get in his head. He had completions of 6 and 19 yards while leading the Texans offense into field goal range, which allowed Fairbairn to kick the game-winning field goal (ESPN.com). This is the best I have ever seen Cj Stroud play, and he is the reason the Texans' postseason hopes are still alive.