HOUSTON -- Bill O'Brien and the Houston Texans have been here before.

In O’Brien’s first two seasons in Houston, he has had to manage the changing of quarterbacks, whether it was through benching or injury. After the Texans head coach benched starting quarterback Brock Osweiler midway through the second quarter, backup Tom Savage led Houston to a 21-20 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

And now O’Brien faces a decision as his team enters the final two weeks of the regular season: Who should start on Saturday against the Bengals?

The Texans gave Osweiler a four-year, $72 million contract in March, though just two years and $37 million of it is guaranteed. Savage, who is in the third year of the rookie contract he signed after being drafted by the Texans in 2014, is guaranteed just $300,584 for the remainder of his contract.

“We don’t make decisions on how much a guy gets paid," O'Brien said. "We make decisions on what’s the best way to win a game. That was the decision we made today, and I thought today, it worked out OK.”

Though it was just a small sample size, Savage showed Sunday that he gives the Texans a better chance than Osweiler to win. At the very least, he earned the right to get another chance to play, this time with a full week to prepare as the team’s starter.

In relief of Osweiler, Savage led an offense that has struggled mightily through the air and has been forced to find its identity through running the football. But on Sunday, Savage showed the Texans can also thrive through the air, finishing 23-of-36 for 260 yards after entering the game in the second quarter.

One area Osweiler has especially struggled in this season is throwing downfield. On passes thrown 15 yards or more downfield on Sunday, Osweiler was 0-for-2, with two interceptions. Savage was 4-for-8 for 89 yards, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

If anything, Sunday’s victory over the Jaguars showed the importance of involving wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins in the Texans’ offense. The Pro Bowl receiver finished with eight catches for 87 yards, the most yards in a game he has had since Week 2. Entering Sunday's game, Hopkins had more than 60 receiving yards in just one of the Texans' previous seven games.

Osweiler was intercepted on his lone throw to Hopkins on Sunday, his ninth interception while targeting Hopkins this season, according to ESPN Stats & Info. Savage was 8-of-14 targeting Hopkins. The eight receptions were tied for Hopkins' second most in a game this season.

"You know that he’s one of the best receivers in this league, and it was good to show that today,” Savage said.

O’Brien said the next step is seeing which quarterback earns the Week 16 start on Saturday against the Bengals. According to O’Brien, making the best decision is “something that only a head coach can explain or feel.”

“We’re always going to make decisions in the best interest of the team,” O’Brien said. “We’ll regroup here tonight. We’ve got a short week. And we’ll make decisions on anybody, any starter that we have. We make decisions on that every week.

“We run a very competitive program, no matter what people on the outside see, or think, or whatever. We run a very competitive program here, and we try to compete on the practice field and reward guys that earn it on the practice field. That’s what we’ll continue to do here.”