HOUSTON -- The formula, at least on Sunday, worked perfectly.

Play physical, punch-you-in-the-mouth defense and pound the football with fourth overall pick Leonard Fournette. The Jacksonville Jaguars used that to beat Houston 29-7 at NRG Stadium, and that’s a sign the Jaguars may finally be starting to make progress in a rebuild that began four years ago.

Fournette ran 26 times for 100 yards and a touchdown and also caught three passes for 24 yards in his NFL debut. His longest run was 17 yards, but his ability to get positive yards even when there didn’t appear to be much of an opening was even more important.

Fournette scored his only touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line when everyone in the stadium knew he was getting the ball. He finished the run by planting his helmet into the chest of Texans linebacker Brian Cushing.

What Fournette’s success on the ground did was open up the play-action passing for quarterback Blake Bortles, who completed 11-of-21 for 125 yards and one touchdown. He was efficient (he had two passes dropped) but still took some shots down the field.

Most importantly, he wasn’t sacked. The Texans’ dominant defensive front of J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney and Whitney Mercilus got handled by the Jaguars’ offensive line, which had really struggled in the preseason.

The Jaguars’ defense smothered the Texans in the first half, sacking quarterback Tom Savage six times and limiting the Texans to just 52 total yards (23 rushing). Defensive end Calais Campbell had 3.5 of those sacks in the first half (he finished with four which is a career high and the most by a Jaguars player in one game).

The Jaguars also forced a pair of fumbles, including one that defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. returned 53 yards for a touchdown.

The defense was so stout that the Texans benched Savage at halftime for first-round pick Deshaun Watson. He didn’t have much better luck. Though he did throw a touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins, he threw for only 102 yards and was picked off once.

The final defensive tally on Sunday: a franchise-record 10 sacks, 203 total yards allowed, four takeaways (they forced only 13 turnovers last season), and the Fowler touchdown.

The Jaguars committed to the Fournette/smothering defense formula when they hired executive VP of football operations Tom Coughlin and head coach Doug Marrone in January. It was their best chance to be competitive in the AFC South and it’s even more critical now with the uncertainty surrounding the left knee injury to receiver Allen Robinson.

The 6-foot-3 Robinson is the Jaguars’ best downfield playmaker and has made a living on 50-50 balls. If he’s out for a significant amount of time, the Jaguars will have to be a little more conservative on offense, and that likely means even more Fournette.

And, the Jaguars hope, more big plays on defense.