Jacksonville Jaguars safety Josh Jones was ejected during the third quarter against Houston after his hit on Texans receiver Brandin Cooks.
Jones also was penalized for the hit because he led with his helmet and hit Cooks in the helmet after Cooks hauled in a 23-yard pass from Deshaun Watson.
Rookie fifth-round pick Daniel Thomas took Jones' place in the lineup.
The Jaguars were already down four starters by that point. Defensive end Josh Allen (knee), linebacker Myles Jack (ankle), and cornerback CJ Henderson (shoulder) were inactive and safety Andrew Wingard left the game with a core muscle injury in the first half.
Jones won the starting strong safety job in camp, which facilitated the trade of 2018 third-round pick Ronnie Harrison. Jones entered the game with 36 tackles.
