HOUSTON – Jacoby Jones had a touchdown and added the 2-point conversion on a score by Andre Johnson with less than 30 seconds left, lifting the Houston Texans in a 28-28 tie with the Baltimore Ravens at the end of regulation Monday night.
The Texans trailed 28-13 entering the fourth quarter before Jones capped a 99-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown reception with 6 minutes remaining.
The Ravens had to punt after their drive stalled at the Houston 44 following an incomplete pass on third-and-2 with about 3 minutes left to give the Texans the ball.
Johnson managed to keep his toes inbounds on a 5-yard touchdown reception that made it 28-26 and Jones grabbed Houston's first 2-point conversion of the year to tie it.
Houston gained 301 yards in the second half.
David Reed had a 103-yard kickoff return to open the second half, the longest kickoff return for a touchdown in franchise history. Troy Nolan had him wrapped up at the beginning of the run, but the rookie wriggled free and raced down the sideline for the score that stretched Baltimore's lead to 28-7.
Reed's home was raided by police last week to investigate potential drug activity, but no charges have been filed.
The Texans had to settle for a 24-yard field goal that made it 28-10 with about 7 minutes left in the third quarter after Jones dropped a would-be touchdown catch in the end zone. They kicked another field goal, this one for 42 yards, near the end of the third quarter to make it 28-13.
That field goal came after Kevin Walter was ruled out of bounds on a catch in the end zone and the play was upheld on review.
On Mason's second score, he sidestepped Jason Allen then came out of his shoe on a 26-yard reception just under 2 minutes before halftime. That score, that made it 21-0, was set up when Chris Carr picked off a deflected pass from Matt Schaub.
Andre Johnson finally got Houston's offense going when he grabbed a 46-yard pass from Schaub for a touchdown less than a minute before halftime to get Houston within 21-7.
Mason made an acrobatic catch 9-yard catch in the back of the end zone about 5½ minutes before halftime to make it 14-0.
The Texans' offense sputtered for most of the first half. The home crowd began booing loudly on an incompletion by Schaub on third down that forced their second punt of the second quarter.
Houston was backed up at its 2 when Owen Daniels made a nifty one-handed catch for a 30-yard gain early in the second quarter. Houston came away from that drive empty, though, when Cory Redding sacked Schaub for a 12-yard loss three plays later to force another punt.
Willis McGahee scored on a 1-yard run to give the Ravens a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. The Ravens had a second-and-8 from the 11-yard line before Houston's Brian Cushing was called for pass interference, his second penalty of the drive, giving Baltimore a first down at the 1.
McGahee was stopped once before tumbling into the end zone for the score with just over 3 minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Joe Flacco hit Le'Ron McClain for a 17-yard gain before Ray Rice had a 5-yard run to get the Ravens to the Houston 23 on the touchdown drive. Glover Quin knocked down a pass in the end zone on the next play, but Cushing was lined up in the neutral zone, giving Baltimore a first down.
Schaub's first completion came on a 13-yard pass to David Anderson on Houston's third drive. He was 0 for 5 before that. Schaub found Daniels for a 25-yard gain two plays later; Daniels missed the last five games with a hamstring injury.
Terrell Suggs sacked Schaub on third down for a 3-yard loss on the last play of the first quarter. Suggs has 67½ career sacks, second in Ravens history.
Earlier, Bernard Pollard and Cushing sacked Flacco on Baltimore's second play for a 6-yard loss setting up third-and-14. It was the 12th sack the Ravens have allowed in the last four games.
Flacco found Anquan Boldin on the next play for the first down. The Ravens converted another third down on that drive when McClain, who missed last week's game with a sprained left ankle, gained 2 yards on a third-and-1. Quin knocked down Flacco's pass on third-and-6 from the Baltimore 40 with about 8 minutes left in the quarter to force a punt.
Baltimore's Billy Cundiff had a touchback on the opening kickoff to continue his streak as the only kicker who has produced one in every game this season.
Arian Foster, the NFL's leading rusher, gained 16 yards on Houston's first play, but the offense stalled after that and the Texans were forced to punt.
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