JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — It’s one thing to lose a close game. It’s another to stumble like Jacksonville did at Houston on Sunday.
The Jaguars blew a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter, were outscored 26-0 in the final frame and ended up on the wrong end of a 36-29 stunner. It was the biggest collapse in franchise history and easily one of the most embarrassing outcomes in the team’s 31 years.
Calling it an epic debacle wouldn’t even do it justice.
The Jaguars (5-4) had a chance to essentially eliminate the rival Texans (4-5) from playoff contention and needed to make one extra play down the stretch to get it done. One more completion. One more first down. One more pressure. One more sack.
But quarterback Trevor Lawrence and defensive Josh Hines-Allen — the team’s highest-paid players who are on the books for a combined $70.5 million in 2025 — failed to deliver. And the longtime captains should shoulder the blame.
Lawrence was sacked three times on six drop-backs in the fourth quarter. He also scrambled twice and threw incomplete once. He made a play that looked like it would give Jacksonville a chance late, but his completion to Parker Washington was nullified by offensive lineman Chuma Edoga’s penalty.
Allen, meanwhile, was ineffective in the fourth while going against rookie left tackle Aireontae Ersery and backup quarterback Davis Mills. Allen finished with one quarterback hit.
“I didn’t necessarily think we’re putting these guys in really bad positions,” first-year Jaguars coach Liam Coen said. “You’re trying to hold onto a lead and make them earn it. We let up too many explosive plays.”
The Jags have dropped three of four, with the lone victory coming at Las Vegas in overtime, and will try to regroup against the Los Angeles Chargers (7-3) this weekend.
“Unfortunately, this is what happened,” Lawrence said. “Can’t change it now. It’s over and done. We have to move forward and learn from it. I mean, let that be a chip on our shoulder and a little bit of fire under us for this week of practice. It should sting for a while.”
Cam Little has made 12 consecutive kicks since missing three of four. The second-year pro hit all three of field-goal attempts against the Texans, including a 53-yarder, and was getting ready for an even longer one in the waning seconds. Little hit an NFL-record 68-yarder last week at the Raiders.
Jacksonville is tied for last in the NFL with 12 sacks, a season-long problem and a head-scratching one considering the Jaguars have invested first-round picks in Hines-Allen and Travon Walker. Walker should have had two sacks against the Texans, but he was flagged for roughing the quarterback on one takedown and then whiffed trying to tackle Mills in the backfield on another. It was more bad luck for Walker, who continues to play with a wrap on his surgically repaired left wrist and was ejected last week for throwing a punch.
Washington found the end zone twice in the first half. He made a toe-touching, 7-yard touchdown grab in the first quarter and then returned a punt 73 yards for a score in the second. He could end up being Lawrence’s No. 1 target in the second half of the season, even with the recent addition of veteran Jakobi Meyers.
Left tackle Walker Little was no match for Danielle Hunter, who finished with 3 1/2 sacks. Little signed a three-year, $40.5 million extension last December but has struggled in recent losses to Seattle, the Los Angeles Rams and Houston.
The Jags hope to get WR Brian Thomas Jr. (ankle), CB Jourdan Lewis (neck), TE Hunter Long (hip/knee) and LG Ezra Cleveland (ankle/knee) back this week. Look for TE Brenton Strange (hip) to be activated from injured reserve.
31-30 — The score of the Chargers’ last visit to Jacksonville. The Jaguars rallied from a 27-0 deficit to win the wild-card playoff game in January 2023.
Find a way to bounce back from a gut-wrenching loss.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
