Ka'imi Fairbairn kicked a 49-yard field goal as time expired, and the Houston Texans beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-31 at Wembley Stadium on Sunday. ESPN and the Associated Press both reported the kick, and ESPN noted that C.J. Stroud threw three touchdown passes on what it called the slick grass at Wembley. Our play-by-play has the kick as good, with Kai Kroeger holding and Austin Brinkman snapping.
The box score shows a game that stayed close throughout. Houston scored 7 in the first quarter and Jacksonville scored none. The Jaguars then led the second quarter 14-10. The Texans took the third 14-7, and Jacksonville took the fourth 10-3. Houston had 426 total yards to Jacksonville's 412, and the Texans averaged 7.2 yards a play to 6.1. Each team threw one interception and lost no fumbles. Stroud finished 24 of 34 for 312 yards and a 116.3 rating. Foster Moreau caught two of his touchdowns, and Jaylin Noel had four catches for 107 yards and a score. Fairbairn went 2 for 2 on field goals and 4 for 4 on extra points.
On the other side, Trevor Lawrence was 24 of 41 for 306 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Bhayshul Tuten caught two of those scores, and Travis Hunter and Nate Boerkircher each caught one. Jacksonville's Cam Little hit a 60-yard field goal. Jacksonville had 66 penalty yards to Houston's 40, and it went 0 for 1 on fourth down.
A Reddit post on r/nfl said Stroud and Lawrence combined for 618 yards and seven touchdowns. The box score supports that: 312 plus 306 passing yards is 618, and three touchdowns plus four is seven. The same post asked whether this was the best London game ever played. That's a fan's question, and our data can't answer it.
Houston is 2-4 and third in the AFC South, but it has won two in a row. It beat Tennessee 26-3 last week, after a 34-30 home loss to Dallas on Oct. 4. This was the Texans' second game in a row with 34 points or more allowed or scored in a close finish. Jacksonville stays 4-2 and first in the division, but it has lost its first game after wins over Philadelphia (19-17) and at Cincinnati (22-17).
Houston's next game is at home against the New York Giants on Oct. 25. Jacksonville's next game is against Indianapolis on Nov. 1.
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