The New York Giants beat the Houston Texans 27-21 in overtime on Sunday at Reliant Stadium in Week 7 of the NFL regular season. The winning score came with 7:25 left in the extra period and was the only points either team managed after regulation.
Houston forced overtime late. C.J. Stroud found Xavier Hutchinson for a 3-yard touchdown with 52 seconds left in the fourth quarter, and Ka’imi Fairbairn’s kick made it 21-21.
Fairbairn’s 58-yarder and a two-point tie before halftime
Fairbairn opened the scoring with a 58-yard field goal at 11:40 of the first quarter. He added a 57-yarder at 9:03 of the second. Between those kicks, Tyrone Tracy Jr. ran in from 2 yards and Dominic Zvada converted for New York.
Jameis Winston’s 1-yard run at 3:32 of the second quarter put the Giants up 14-6. Houston answered with 34 seconds left in the half. Stroud hit Marvin Harrison Jr. for a 6-yard score, then connected with Cade Stover on the two-point conversion to tie it 14-14. Neither team scored in the third quarter.
Giants run for 188 yards on 34 carries
Cam Skattebo, the Giants’ leading rusher, broke a 16-yard touchdown run with 8:55 to play. New York ran 34 times for 188 yards, while Houston managed 84 yards on 25 carries, with Jo’quavious Marks leading the Texans on the ground.
The gap showed across the box score. The Giants outgained Houston 420 yards to 237, picked up 22 first downs to 15 and held the ball for 35:50 against 26:45. J.J. McCarthy led New York’s passing game as the Giants went 20 of 28 for 232 yards, and Malik Nabers was their top receiver. Micah McFadden led the defense.
Houston stayed close by going 2 for 2 in the red zone and committing no turnovers. The Texans threw for 153 yards on 17-of-28 passing, with Dalton Schultz their leading receiver, and their defense, led by M.J. Stewart, sacked New York three times for 20 yards. But Houston converted only 3 of 12 third downs and was flagged 10 times for 80 yards, compared with 4 penalties for 50 yards against the Giants.
Texans’ two-game streak ends before Chargers trip
Houston entered at 2-4, third in the AFC South, after road wins of 34-31 at Jacksonville on Oct. 18 and 26-3 at Tennessee on Oct. 11. That run is over.
The Giants arrived at 3-2-1 and first in the NFC East. They had gone winless in their previous two games, losing 34-27 at home to the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 18 after a 27-27 tie at Washington on Oct. 11.
Both teams play next on Sunday, Nov. 8. Houston visits the Los Angeles Chargers, and the Giants travel to face the Philadelphia Eagles.
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