Jaguars thwart late Texans rally as Trevor Lawrence outduels C.J. Stroud in AFC South thriller

If this is the future of the AFC South, buckle up.

With the division lead at stake, the Jacksonville Jaguars won a 24-21 thriller over the Houston Texans Sunday in a game featuring two of football's most exciting young quarterbacks. Trevor Lawrence threw for 364 yards while the Jaguars defense thwarted a late rally effort at the hands of electric rookie C.J. Stroud.

Jacksonville took a 24-14 lead early in the fourth quarter, threatening to seize control of the game. Houston countered two possessions later with a 55-yard touchdown drive to cut its deficit to 24-21.

The Texans defense forced a punt on the ensuing Jaguars possession, and Houston took over with 3:01 and a chance to tie or win the game. But a pair of Jacksonville sacks stifled the drive, and Matt Ammendola's 58-yard field to tie the game bounded off the crossbar to secure the Jaguars win.

Jacksonville escaped Houston with a two-game lead over the Texans and the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South. A Texans win would have tied Houston with Jacksonville atop the division and secured a season weep of the Jaguars.