Offense an average loss for the Texans

Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette said, jaguars‘ performance Lost to Houston Texans 24-20 Depends on application, effort and playing conditions.

Offense: C

As in many examples of Trevor Lawrence’s nine-game losing streak, Jaguars had two possessions to end the game but couldn’t make a play. The Jaguars went 3-up after taking control with a score of 28, leading 20-17 with 3:51 left in the game. You can’t give a quarterback like CJ Stroud too many chances, and it ended up biting the Jaguars. Lawrence previously had wide receivers Christian Kirk and Brian Thomas Jr. He missed two ideal deep ball opportunities. Both could have been goals, but the Jaguars only ended up with a total of three points. Lawrence (18/33, 169 yards, 2 TDs, 89.1 rating) made spectacular throws, targeting Thomas and Kirk a combined 21 times and combined for 13 catches for a combined 147 yards. Lawrence got plenty of help from the running game as Tank Bigsby threw for 90 yards on seven carries, including a 58-yarder that narrowly missed a TD. The Jaguars had two cracks in the end zone just beyond the 1-yard line and were unable to cash in, making it a 20-17 game. Lawrence was stuck with former Jaguars Foley Fatukasi on a fourth down QB draw after failing to connect with Gabe Davis on a third-down pass. This was a microcosm of a game in which the Jaguars had multiple chances to win and failed to do so.

GENE FRENETTE: Winless Jaguars and QB Lawrence continue to fall short in big moments

Defense: B-minus

With a weak secondary and missing linebackers Foye Oluokun and Devin Lloyd, defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen opted to use more zone coverage and The strategy worked quite well.. Still it didn’t stop Texans QB CJ Stroud did his usual damage in the first half, connecting on 15 of 19 passes for 215 yards. It would have been better if Stroud had not missed Nico Collins’ open pass in the end zone just before halftime. But the Jaguars’ defense turned in an inspired performance in the second half until the game-winning final drive, capped by a 1-yard TD pass to former Jaguar running back Dare Ogunbowale. Despite being without top passer Josh Hines-Allen The defense, concussed for most of the second half, was shut out for five straight possessions. Ventrell Miller played well in relief of Oluokun. They couldn’t come up with one more play to close out the game (no defensive turnovers for the fourth straight game).

Special teams: B

The Jaguars got a big break on their first series when returner Steven Sims muffed a Logan Cooke punt and was easily recovered by receiver Daniel Thomas, who caught the ball at the Houston 2. Although the rules prohibited him from advancing the ball, turnovers led to this. Lawrence 2-yard TD pass to Thomas on the next play. Cam Little hit field goals of 41 and 52 yards to keep the Jaguars close at halftime. Cooke returned five punts for a net average of 46.8 yards. Kick returner Devin Duvernay had three returns for an average of 20.7 yards. Houston gave him a comeback chance in the final seconds after the Texans retook the lead, but Duvernay could only get 18 yards to the 23 before being blasted by linebacker Neville Hewitt.

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Coaching: C-plus

The Jaguars looked like a much more functional and organized team than they did last week in Buffalo. There were some tackling issues on a few plays and two missed critical deep ball passes, but it’s the players’ responsibility to make that work, not the coaching staff. Considering the wear and tear of the Jaguars in the first AFC South game of the season, they performed well enough to be in position to win. Doug Pederson, normally one of the most willing punters among NFL coaches, surprisingly passed on a fourth-and-half situation at the Houston 34 with the Jaguars trailing 14-10 late in the second quarter. Instead, Minor opted for a successful 52-yard field goal. The play-calling of the QB draw for Lawrence in an empty backfield situation on fourth-and-goal also left a lot to be desired. So when you keep losing games in the NFL, job security becomes an issue, and this devastating loss puts even more strain on Pederson. Owner Shad Khan cannot ignore nine defeats in the last 10 matches for much longer now that he has a team he thinks should win.