Week 10 review
The Jaguars fall to 5-4 after suffering a heartbreaking 36-29 loss to the Houston Texans. The Jaguars had complete control of the game through three quarters but inexplicably collapsed in the 4th, costing them the game and potentially their season.
The defense took the field to begin the game and immediately made an impact. Jarrian Jones intercepted Davis Mills at the Texans 40-yard line on the third play of the game. With incredible field position to start the game, the offense continued their early game struggles, going three-and-out before the Texans committed a penalty on the field goal attempt, giving the offense a second chance. Once again, they failed to get a first down, settling for a field goal once again to go up 3-0.
On the ensuing kickoff, Tim Jones forced a fumble, giving the offense great field position once again. The drive would start at the Texans 19-yard line, just inside the red zone. This time, Trevor Lawrence and the offense capitalized, scoring a touchdown on a perfect throw and catch to go up 10-0.
On the next defensive drive, they forced a punt, taking advantage of the Texans' self-inflicted mistakes. The offense continued to struggle, getting just one first down before punting once again. Luckily, the special teams unit made another play. After forcing another three-and-out, Parker Washington returned the punt 73 yards for a touchdown to go up 17-0 early in the second quarter.
After getting off to a great start, the defense began to slip, allowing Houston to drive all the way down to their 4-yard line before holding them to a field goal. The score was now 17-3 midway through the 2nd quarter. With the help of a few Houston penalties, the Jaguars were able to move the ball but once again settled for another field goal to go up 20-3.
Despite having control of the game, the defense could not hold for long, allowing a 5-play, 65-yard touchdown drive, allowing the Texans to get back into the game with a 20-10 score. With 1:14 left in the half, Trevor Lawrence and the offense had a chance to get points and reclaim momentum. The drive was a struggle, gaining just 15 yards on 5 plays before Trevor Lawrence threw an interception with 17 seconds remaining. This took away any chance at a field goal and gave Houston more momentum going into halftime.
Coming out of halftime, the Jaguars would receive the ball. They had their most productive drive of the game, gaining 59 yards in 9 plays, but settled for yet another field goal to take a 23-10 lead. After a bad second quarter, the defense was able to get back on track, forcing a turnover on downs, putting the offense at their own 42-yard line.
This time, the offense was able to finish the drive. Travis Etienne scored from 6 yards out to cap off an 11-play, 58-yard drive. Liam Coen made the decision to go for two, which the offense failed to convert. The lead was now 29-10, and a decision that did not seem important at the time would later come back to hurt them.
After mostly excellent play from the defense, things would begin to go south, allowing a 65-yard touchdown drive in just over 4 minutes. The Texans converted on their two-point attempt, making the score 29-18. After a penalty on the kickoff, the Jaguars would begin the drive at their own 13-yard line. The offense had a chance to retake control of the game, or, at minimum, take some time off the clock. They did neither, losing 4 yards and going three-and-out in just two minutes.
Because Logan Cooke punted from his own end zone, this gave Houston excellent field position, beginning the drive at their own 49. They once again capitalized, going 6 plays for 51 yards in just 2:35. After a failed two-point attempt, the lead was now down to 5, with the Jaguars leading 29-24.
With the game in the balance, the offense needed to produce a long, sustained drive. They went three-and-out, burning just over a minute off the clock, giving the Texans plenty of time to operate. Despite pinning the Texans inside their own 10-yard line, the defense failed to get a stop, allowing a 14-play, 93-yard touchdown drive. After they failed to convert on the two-point attempt, the Texans now led 30-29 with 31 seconds left.
Trevor Lawrence and the offense had one final chance to steal the game. After taking a sack on the first play, it appeared that the game was over, but Lawrence managed to scramble for 21 yards for a first down. With 13 seconds left at their own 45, the offense needed one play to get into Cam Little's range.
Lawrence completed a 13-yard pass to Parker Washington, putting the ball at the Texans 42. This would have been enough for Cam Little to be in range, but offensive lineman Chuma Edoga was called for a penalty, putting the Jaguars back at their own 35. With one final play, Lawrence would be strip-sacked and returned for a touchdown, giving the Texans a 36-29 victory.
The good
Special teams made a massive difference in this game, with 2 plays leading to 14 points. The forced fumble by Tim Jones gave the offense excellent field position to capitalize on, and Parker Washington cemented himself as one of the best punt returners in the league with a 73-yard touchdown.
The defense did have a stretch of good play, forcing a turnover and 2 punts on the Texans first three drives. This played a massive part in the Jaguars jumping out to a quick 17-0 lead.
Travis Etienne had a good first half, rushing for 44 yards and a touchdown on just 9 carries. This was Etienne's first touchdown since week 4, and it helped give the Jaguars a 29-10 lead.
The bad
Penalties are still a problem, recording 9 for 90 yards, with none bigger than Chuma Edoga's hands-to-the-face penalty on the second-to-last play of the game, costing the Jaguars a chance at a game-winning field goal.
The defense was all-time bad in the fourth quarter, allowing 167 yards and 26 points in nearly 11 minutes. They allowed the Texans to convert on 5/6 third downs and go 93 yards on the game-winning touchdown drive.
The offense struggled for a majority of the game, scoring just 22 points, with 10 of them beginning inside midfield. In the fourth quarter, it was even worse, scoring 0 points while gaining just 1 yard and 1 first down. One or two first downs could have changed the outcome of this game, but they could not get anything going when it mattered most.
Interior play on both sides was abysmal, with the pass blocking in particular being a red flag. Lawrence was sacked 5 times for 39 yards, with two of them coming on the final drive. The Texans 2 best pass rushers, Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson, combined for 4.5 sacks and 7 pressures on the day, giving Lawrence problems at every turn. On the defensive side, they did record two sacks and 7 pressures but could not get close to Davis Mills in the 4th quarter. Multiple times Mills stood in the pocket with plenty of time, and he was able to scramble for a 14-yard touchdown to win the game.
The run game failed them in the second half. Travis Etienne received just 7 carries for 14 yards in the second half after averaging nearly 5 yards per carry in the first half. Not being able to run the football was a huge reason the offense could not sustain drives, continuously putting a struggling and tired defense back out onto the field.
Conclusion
This was the biggest blown lead in Jaguars history and is a huge step back in what initially looked like a promising season. With so many injuries on top of an already struggling team, this loss could be a catastrophic blow to the rest of the 2025 season. The Jaguars will host the Chargers in a rematch from the 2022 playoffs. This is potentially the last chance the team has to turn the season around and make a playoff push.