HOUSTON (Ticker) -- David Carr yelled his way into the end zone.
After a critical fumble by rookie Byron Leftwich, Carr dove in for a one-yard touchdown on the game's final play as the Houston Texans posted a dramatic 24-20 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Making his first career start with Mark Brunell injured, Leftwich looked like he was on the verge of leading the Jaguars (0-4) to their first win of the season.
But Leftwich made his biggest mistake with the Jaguars holding a 20-17 lead with under three minutes left when he scrambled to his right and fumbled. Free safety Matt Stevens recovered at his own 41 for the Texans.
Carr, the first overall pick last season, was able to move his team in position for the win. But before he provided the winning points, Carr had to convince coach Dom Capers on the sideline.
On 1st-and-goal from inside the 1 with two seconds left, the Texans (2-2) went for the win and Carr dove over the top for the winning score. Carr's TD came on the Texans' seventh play from inside the 3.
"When you're six inches away from the goal line, you can't give that up," Carr said. "I'd rather take my shot right there on the six inch line. It was a great call by the coaching staff and I am just glad that I just got up with the touchdown."
"We were able to run quite a few plays in a very short period of time," Capers said. "When we threw those balls, I felt like throwing it and we can line up and kick the field goal. When I saw how close we were, I thought 'Let's go for it, let's try to win the game and end this thing right now.'"
Texans rookie wide receiver Andre Johnson was confident on the final play.
"I didn't have any doubts about it," Johnson said. "It just shows that coach Capers is confident in us. Most teams probably would have kicked the field goal."
Leftwich, the seventh overall pick, completed 17-of-36 passes for 231 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. His TD was the longest pass play in team history, an 84-yard connection with Troy Edwards, who was signed this past week, in the third quarter.
"I think I could have been a whole lot better," Leftwich said. "We did everything you could ask for. I just can't make that mistake at the end."
Jaguars running back Fred Taylor praised his young quarterback.
"I think he did a pretty good job," Taylor said. "He was in the huddle and he had a great sense of urgency. He'll be one of the great ones you always hear about and read about."
After Leftwich's fumble that was caused by strong safety Eric Brown, Domanick Davis ran four times for 16 yards and had two catches for 21 yards that moved the ball to the Jaguars 3.
In a season-opening win at Miami, the Texans' defense also made a big play when cornerback Marcus Coleman's interception set up a game-winning field goal by Kris Brown.
Davis carried 16 times for 53 yards. Former Jaguar Stacey Mack gained 39 yards on 16 attempts, including a five-yard TD run in the first quarter.
On 3rd-and-goal from the 1, Carr lofted a pass for Jabar Gaffney and rookie safety Rashean Mathis was called for interference. Carr scored on the next play, giving the Texans the win.
Carr finished 23-of-36 for 234 yards and one touchdown and an interception. His favorite target was Johnson, who had eight receptions for 97 yards.
Carr was able to win his matchup with Leftwich, who did provide the Jaguars a glimpse of the future when he connected with Edwards on an 84-yard TD to tie the contest at 17-17 with 10:50 left in the third quarter.
On the Jaguars' next possession, Leftwich led a nine-play, 58-yard drive that resulted in a 20-yard field goal by Seth Marler.
Mack opened the scoring with a five-yard touchdown run with nine minutes left in the first quarter.
After Marler kicked a 29-yard field goal with 3:10 left in the first, Carr found Gaffney from 34 yards 49 seconds into the second quarter, giving the Texans a 14-3 lead.
Taylor capped a seven-play, 58-yard drive with a one-yard TD run with 6:46 left in the half, pulling the Jaguars within 14-10. Taylor carried 19 times for 67 yards.
Brown kicked a 48-yard field goal 2:03 into the third quarter, giving the Texans a 17-10 advantage.
