EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. _ Sam Darnold had played a terrific game, showing more growth than he had all season against a pretty stout defense.
The Jets rookie quarterback had the ball with a chance to lead a game-tying or winning drive for the second straight week. But this time there was no end-of-game heroics from Darnold or the Jets.
The Texans scored 10 points in the final 2:15 to beat the Jets, 29-22, Saturday at MetLife Stadium and extend their home losing streak to four games. The Jets, who close out their home schedule next week against the Packers, haven't won here since Oct. 14.
Darnold was 24-for-38 for 253 yards and two touchdowns. The offensive line had a strong game against J.J. Watt and the Texans' front. Watt sacked Darnold on the Jets' third play from scrimmage. He wasn't sacked again until late in the fourth quarter when the Texans (10-4) got him once each on the last two drives.
Some of that was Darnold, though. He felt pressure and scrambled and eluded the rush to make plays.
Leading 22-19, the Jets (4-10) needed their defense, which played a brilliant second half to that point, to come up big and put the game away. But the Texans marched 75 yards down the field and went ahead after Deshaun Watson's 14-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins with 2:15 left.
Morris Claiborne, who was beat on the touchdown, also was called for defensive holding on third-and-4 on an incomplete pass.
The Jets sacked Watson six times. But the Texans quarterback finished with 294 passing yards and two touchdowns. Hopkins caught 10 passes for 170 yards and two scores.
After his go-ahead score, Darnold and the Jets took over at the 25-yard line. His first pass was a deep throw to Robby Anderson that was nearly picked off. On second down, Darnold completed a 3-yard pass to Andre Roberts. Watt sacked Darnold on third down for a 7-yard loss.
On fourth down, just after the two-minute warning, Anderson couldn't hold on to Darnold's pass that would have been a first down.
The Texans took over and ultimately settled for a 40-yard Ka'imi Fairbairn field goal to make it 29-22. It was his fifth field goal of the game.
After the Jets got the ball back, Darnold threw incomplete on his first two passes and then was sacked. He completed a pass on fourth down but not enough for a first.
The Jets took their only lead of the game with 5:00 left after Darnold led his third touchdown drive.
Darnold completed a 6-yard pass to Robby Anderson on fourth-and-1 from the 25. Three plays later, he scrambled for a 14-yard gain. There was defensive holding on the play. It gave the Jets a first-and-goal at the 2. Darnold was stopped on a QB sneak. On second down, there was no stopping the Jets.
McGuire appeared to be stopped, but the Jets entire offensive line pushed him into the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown with five minutes remaining. The extra point by Jason Myers, who missed two earlier, made it 22-19.
The Jets' defense limited the Texans to field goals on their first two drives after Houston got in the red zone both times. Henry Anderson came up with a third-quarter sack on third down on the first and Morris Claiborne broke up a pass for Hopkins on the second.
But the Jets had their own issues moving the ball against the Texans' D at that point.
With the score 6-3, the Jets offense imploded and it led to the first touchdown of the game.
The Jets had back-to-back penalties for illegal block in the back after driving into Houston territory. Then running back Elijah McGuire coughed up the ball after being hit by Watt and the Texans recovered.
Two plays later, Watson found Hopkins for a 45-yard touchdown. The extra point put the Jets in a 13-3 hole with 8:14 left in the half.
The Texans went up 16-3 after Ka'imi Fairbairn's third field goal of the first half � a 53-yard kick.
The Jets closed to 16-9 just before the first half ended, as Darnold connected on a 5-yard touchdown pass with Robby Anderson with 30 seconds left.
It was an impressive Darnold-led 83-yard scoring drive. He scrambled for 10 yards on third-and-3, and then completed six consecutive passes.
He found Anderson twice _ for a 26-yard gain to set up the first-and-goal from the 5 and then the touchdown pass. Darnold moved around the pocket and looked as if he was going to run it in and then fired it to Anderson for the score.
Darnold was just as good on the Jets' first drive of the second half. He avoided the rush and hooked up with Anderson on a 20-yard gain. Later, Darnold hit Andre Roberts in the corner of the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown. But with a chance to tie it, Myers missed the extra point again.
The Jets defense, which allowed points on four of the Texans' first five series, came alive in the third quarter. They forced three-and-outs on the Houston's first three drives of the second half.
But the Texans got in the red zone on their series, with help from a 50-yard pass play from Watson to DeAndre Carter. But on third-and-3 from the Jets 17, Jamal Adams sacked Watson for a 14-yard loss. Houston settled for a 49-yard Fairbairn field goal.
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