As the Colts were fending off the Pittsburgh Steelers in the final minutes of their game Sunday afternoon, the Jacksonville Jaguars were attempting to do the same thing against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. The Jaguars and Texans had been trading blows all afternoon, and the Jaguars held onto a tenuous 20-17 lead after keeping the Texans scoreless throughout the second half.
But with 18 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud connected with running back Dare Ogunbowale for a touchdown. The Texans took a 24-20 lead and, after Jacksonville couldn't make anything happen on their final possession, handed the Jaguars their fourth loss of the season.
"We have to capitalize," Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said postgame. "When we have the game in our hands, we have to go win it. We obviously didn't do that. A lot of that's on me."
Lawrence was 18-of-33 with 169 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's loss; Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud completed 27 passes on 40 attempts for 345 yards and two touchdowns. And while the Jaguars' offense performed better than it had in previous weeks – 313 total yards was their second-highest total of the season – they still struggled to convert on third downs and make plays in the red zone.
Late in the third quarter, the Jaguars led 20-17 and had a first down at the Texans four-yard line. Two short runs by running back Tank Bigsby brought them to the one-yard line, but after an incompletion and a failed fourth-down attempt – Texans defensive tackle Foley Fatukasi stopped Lawrence from running the ball – the Jaguars turned the ball over with no points to show for their efforts.
"I feel like that's why we're taking Ls instead of Ws," running back Travis Etienne Jr. said. "We just have to finish in that red zone and it will be a whole different story."
"We missed some key plays," head coach Doug Pederson said. "We have to take a look at those and see where we can be better...we're that close to flipping the switch, making real plays during the game. We're not making them now and that's what's holding us back."
After the game, Pederson said his decision to go for it on fourth down instead of attempting the short field goal was a "moot point." Lawrence said he liked that Pederson trusted the offense enough to keep them on the field in that situation, admitting they just have to be better in those situations.
Despite a frustrating offensive performance, Jacksonville still had a chance to win largely thanks to their defense and self-inflicted wounds on the part of the Texans. Houston was called for a total of 12 penalties for 92 yards – the third consecutive game they've been whistled for at least 11 – and was forced to punt the ball five consecutive times in the second half.
But Stroud orchestrated a nine-play, 69-yard drive late in the fourth quarter to give Houston the touchdown it needed to take the lead, highlighted by a 26-yard completion to wide receiver Nico Collins. Collins had a standout performance on Sunday, with 12 receptions for 151 yards and a touchdown; he now has over 100 yards in all three of Houston's wins.
As the Jaguars move to 0-4, a trend has emerged: they struggle to make plays in important moments. Because of that, they will still be looking for their first win of the season when they face off against the Colts at Everbank Stadium on Sunday. The Colts will also be looking to break a trend of their own as they head to Florida; the Colts have lost nine consecutive away games to the Jaguars.
