Texans can’t contain Josh Jacobs as Raiders cruise to 38-20 win

In a battle of one-win teams coming off byes, the Raiders (2-4) dominated the Texans (1-4-1) in the second half.

LAS VEGAS — Josh Jacobs rushed for 143 yards and three second-half touchdowns, and the Las Vegas Raiders ran away from the Houston Texans 38-20 on Sunday.

In a battle of one-win teams coming off byes, the Raiders (2-4) dominated the Texans (1-4-1) after halftime, outscoring them 28-10 behind 227 yards of offense, including 98 from Jacobs on the ground.

Las Vegas, which erased a three-point, fourth-quarter deficit, scored on four straight possessions before safety Duron Harmon sealed the win by intercepting Davis Mills and returning it 73 yards for a touchdown.

Derek Carr completed 21 of 27 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown. Davante Adams had eight receptions for 95 yards.

Jacobs, who is playing for a contract after not having his fifth-year option picked up before the season, has rushed for 441 yards in his last three games. He became the first Raider to rush for more than 100 yards in three straight games since Napoleon Kaufman in 1997. Jacobs is the sixth player in the past six seasons with three 100-plus-yard rushing games in a row.

It was his second career game with three rushing TDs. The first was a 34-30 win at Carolina on Sept. 13, 2020.

Mills completed 28 of 40 attempts for 302 yards and two touchdowns, along with his pick-6 to Harmon. Dameon Pierce led the Texans’ rushing attack with 92 yards on 20 carries.

Houston was productive in the first half, scoring on two of three possessions.

The Texans used a little more than six minutes over 13 plays to score the game’s first touchdown, with Mills finding Chris Moore in the flat for a 14-yard score.

Ka’imi Fairbairn, who missed from 39 yards on the Texans’ first drive, split the uprights for a 55-yard field goal in the second quarter, the second-longest kick of his career.

Trailing 10-3, Carr methodically drove the Raiders downfield near the end of the half, eventually finding Mack Hollins, who had been listed as questionable before the game. Hollins streaked down the middle and went up to grab Carr’s dart while splitting two defenders to cap a 10-play drive that tied the game at 10-all.

Both offenses got into a rhythm in the third quarter, trading touchdown drives while Fairbairn added a field goal to send Houston into the fourth quarter with a 20-17 lead. But Jacobs and the Raiders took over from there.

INJURIES

Texans: DT Maliek Collins suffered a chest injury in the first quarter and did not return. … WR Nico Collins left in the third quarter with a groin injury and did not return. … G Kenyon Green left in the fourth quarter.

Raiders: Carr was replaced by Jarrett Stidham for one play in the first quarter. … T Jermaine Eluemunor left with an ankle injury in the first quarter but later returned. … S Matthias Farley left with a back injury in the third quarter, returned, and left again late in the fourth quarter.

UP NEXT

Texans: Host Tennessee next Sunday.

Raiders: Visit New Orleans next Sunday.