Rush Job by Davis Puts Jaguars in Playoff Limbo

Domanick Davis ran for a career-high 150 yards and a touchdown and Houston put a huge dent in Jacksonville’s postseason chances with a 21-0 victory Sunday.

“I knew we had a good chance coming in here, but for some reason these guys don’t respect us and they came out and played like it,” defensive tackle Seth Payne said.

The Jaguars, coming off a big win at Green Bay, looked nothing like a team with so much to gain. They were held to a franchise-low 126 yards.

The Jaguar offense had some excuses. Running back Fred Taylor sat out because of a sprained left knee, ending his streak of consecutive starts at 46 games, and quarterback Byron Leftwich suffered a mild concussion in the first quarter.

The shutout was the first in team history by the Texans and marked the first time the Jaguars did not score since a 44-0 loss at Detroit on Dec. 17, 1995.

Because Baltimore lost at Pittsburgh, the Jaguars (8-7) could have taken control of the final AFC wild-card spot with a victory against Houston (7-8). Instead, they will need to win Sunday at Oakland and have other teams lose to return to the playoffs for the first time since 1999.

“They’re sitting there worried about Baltimore and Pittsburgh. They should have been worried a little bit about us,” Texan defensive end Gary Walker said.

Leftwich struggled from the start. He misfired on his first three passes and fumbled early. He picked up the loose ball and then took a shot to the head when sacked by Robaire Smith.

He sat out a play before returning on the next series. He overthrew receivers and looked lost in the pocket at times. Coach Jack Del Rio benched him with 4 minutes 4 seconds to play, replacing him with David Garrard.

Leftwich finished six for 14 for 35 yards with an interception.

The Texans moved the ball with ease. They finished with 333 yards, much of it thanks to Davis, who also caught five passes for 39 yards.

“You missed one tackle with that guy, and it was like he was out of the gate,” Jaguar linebacker Mike Peterson said.

Houston swept the series against Jacksonville and finished 4-2 in the AFC South.