Rookie RB Dameon Piece Leads Texans To First Win of Year vs. Jaguars

The Texans are finally back in the win column, after taking down their AFC South rival Jacksonville Jaguars.

Matt Galatzan | Oct 9, 2022

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Coming into their matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Houston Texans had not won a regular season football game since December 26 of 2021.

However, that all changed on Sunday at TIAA Bank Field, with the Texans earning their inaugural win of the 2022 season, and the first win for new head coach Lovie Smith, taking down the Jaguars 13-6.

And while it certainly wasn't the prettiest win in the history of the franchise, it was a satisfying one, with Houston earning the win by excelling in the two areas that they struggled most in last season - running the football and defense.

Offensively, it was rookie Dameon Pierce who led the way for Houston, rushing 26 times for 99 yards, as well as the go-ahead touchdown with just over 3:11 to go in regulation.

Pierce was the lone offensive standout for the Texans on Sunday, with quarterback Davis Mills once again struggling to get the ball to his receivers, and throwing for just 140 yards on 16 of 24 passing.

Defensively, again, the Texans were far from perfect but survived using a bend-but-don't-break mentality, doing just enough at the right moments of the game to seal the win.

Yes, the Jaguars finished the game with 422 yards of total offense. But, the Texans kept them out of the end zone and kept rising star quarterback Trevor Lawrence in check all afternoon.

Rookie defensive back Derek Stingley also finished with his first career interception, while fellow rookie Jalen Pitre led the team with nine total tackles.

Following their first win, the Texans are now 28-13 all-time against the Jaguars and have won the last nine in a row.

Up next, the Texans will head west, where they will take on Derek Carr, Davante Adams, and the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Texans are 3-2 all-time against the Raiders and have won the last two matchups in a row dating back to 2017.

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Published Oct 9, 2022

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan the Editor-In-Chief of TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels. For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com