HOUSTON -- The Houston Texans' best passing game of the season came Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but it wasn't from their starting quarterback.
Brock Osweiler was benched after two first-quarter interceptions, and backup Tom Savage stepped in to deliver the best performance from a Texans quarterback this season, leading Houston to a 21-20 comeback victory.
Savage played well in relief of Osweiler, directing the Texans to their lone touchdown of the game without turning the ball over. For an offense that has struggled and been forced to find its identity through the running game this season, that is a huge step for the Texans, who need to find some consistency from their offense.
"I just felt like we had to get something going on offense," Texans head coach Bill O'Brien said. "We weren't going to win this game, obviously, by scoring 13 points again."
Savage finished 23-of-36 for 260 yards but did not throw a touchdown or an interception in less than three quarters of work. Osweiler was 6-of-11 for just 48 yards and the two interceptions, giving him 16 picks on the season.
"He completed passes, he took care of the ball," O'Brien said. "I thought he was decent at getting us in and out of the huddle. I think that needs to speed up but I thought overall he managed the game pretty well."
Savage, whose last regular-season NFL game came two years ago, led the Texans down the field, looking decisive while passing the ball. As the game went on, the Houston coaching staff gave Savage more rope, and he made some good throws.
Texans Pro Bowl receiver DeAndre Hopkins benefited from the quarterback switch, finishing with eight catches for 87 yards, his highest-yardage game since Week 2 this season. Last season, Hopkins had 111 receptions for 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns while catching passes from four starting quarterbacks. Entering Sunday's game, Hopkins had more than 60 receiving yards in just one of the Texans' previous seven games.
"Just being around him, obviously not getting the physical reps with him, but being around him for three years, you kind of know what he’s about," Savage said. "You know that he’s one of the best receivers in this league, and it was good to show that today.”
The Jaguars were able to contain the Texans' running game, as Lamar Miller finished with 63 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. In the teams' first meeting this season in Week 10, Houston ran for 181 yards in the victory.
O'Brien would not say who would start at quarterback for the Texans on Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals, but said, "we don't make decisions on how much a guy gets paid. We make decisions on what's the best way to win a game. That was the decision we made today and I thought today, it worked out OK."
The Texans are now 8-6, still tied with the Tennessee Titans atop the AFC South with two games remaining. Houston, now 5-0 in the AFC South, holds the tiebreaker in the division. The Texans and Titans will play in Week 17 in Tennessee.
"We have to finish strong," Miller said. "We have two more. We just have to take it one game at a time. Every game from here on out is the playoffs to us. ... We have a short week this week so we just have to put this behind us and move forward."