JACKSONVILLE, Fla. –

Byron Leftwich directed two long scoring drives in the fourth quarter to rally the Jaguars to a 21-14 victory over injury-riddled Houston.

Jacksonville (5-3) tied the NFL record for consecutive games played without scoring 30 or more points. They matched Cleveland’s mark of 58 games set between 1995 and 2002 (the Browns didn’t field a team in 1996-98).

The mark hardly mattered, though. The Jaguars, coming off a 24-21 loss against a St. Louis team that played without four key starters, were fortunate to win this one.

Jacksonville trailed 7-0 at halftime and 14-7 in the fourth quarter before waking up from a first-half stupor. Leftwich directed scoring drives of 80 and 82 yards in the final quarter.

Leftwich scored on an 8-yard run on third down to tie the game at 14. Then Greg Jones, playing in place of injured starter Fred Taylor, had a 12-yard TD run that put the Jaguars ahead for good with 2:53 to play.

Taylor sprained his right ankle in the third quarter and did not return. It was the same injury that kept Taylor from playing against Pittsburgh three weeks ago.

The Texans (1-7) had their own injury woes. Running back Domanick Davis and kick returner Jerome Mathis missed the game. Then starting center Drew Hodgdon and backup Todd Washington were injured against the Jags and did not return.

After the injuries, Houston gave up consecutive sacks on its opening drive of the second half. David Carr, who has been sacked more than anyone in the league, fumbled on the second one. Bobby McCray recovered, and four plays later, the Jaguars evened the score at 7.

Leftwich found Ernest Wilford wide open on a slant pattern for a 12-yard score. The key play in the drive was a replay. Officials initially ruled rookie Alvin Pearman fumbled on a 7-yard reception, but the call was overturned.

Houston answered with an 84-yard drive. Jonathan Wells ran 7 yards to make it 14-7. But the Jaguars rallied for their first win over their AFC South rival since 2003.

Leftwich was 19-of-25 for 218 yards. Wilford, playing in place of former first-round draft pick Reggie Williams, caught four passes for 89 yards.

Andre Johnson returned after missing three games with a calf injury and caught nine passes for 91 yards. Carr was 22-of-30 for 219 yards and was sacked six times, most of them in the second half.

Carr put the Texans ahead with two long drives. He drove them 88 yards in the second quarter and then 84 yards in the third. He was 6-of-6 for 50 yards on the second drive.

The Jaguars began the season by playing six of their first seven games against playoff teams. Their remaining schedule included just one team, Indianapolis, with a record above .500.

AP-ES-11-06-05 1631EST