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Without quick response, Jacksonville Jaguars' collapse could ruin Liam Coen's debut season
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- Without quick response, Jacksonville Jaguars' collapse could ruin Liam Coen's debut season
HOUSTON — Thirty minutes later, standing in front of his locker in the bowels of NRG Stadium, Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd interrupted the question.
"Up 29-10 …" I started to ask.
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Lloyd shook his head and sighed.
"That can't happen," he said.
It can't happen, but it did to the Jaguars on Sunday, Nov. 9, against the Houston Texans .
There have been too many low moments to count since the Jaguars started playing football in 1995. Games in which they were overmatched (a lot of them). Seasons in which they started with a win and didn't win again (2020). And eras in which they seemingly couldn't get out of their own way (several).
But the Jaguars had never experienced what happened in the fourth quarter .
Up 19 points, they lost 36-29 to the Texans .
Up 19 points, they were outscored 26-0 in the fourth quarter.
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Up 19 points, they were outgained 167-11 in the fourth quarter.
NO RUSH: Liam Coen frustrated by team's four-man pass rush after loss
Up 19 points, they authored the biggest collapse in team history (the previous worst was 17 points).
They lost to a Texans team playing a backup quarterback in Davis Mills , was without the right side of their offensive line, was basically playing in a half-empty stadium, committed 11 penalties and had two first-quarter turnovers that helped stake the Jaguars to a 10-0 lead.
The fourth quarter was so bad that the end seemed inevitable, Mills scrambling 14 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 31 seconds left. The Jaguars did nothing right in the fourth quarter so why should we have expected them to make a stop?
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"Really disappointing against an in-division opponent on the road and you're controlling the game for the majority of it with all three phases having an impact," Jaguars coach Liam Coen said . "Probably some disbelief."
Disbelief. Shock. Frustration. All of it.
"Crazy; crazy bad," right tackle Anton Harrison told me. "That's one we're supposed to have."
The Jaguars had it … until they didn't.
Fourth-quarter collapse
This loss might take a few days to get over. It should take a few days.
"That's probably the hardest part," Harrison said. "You obviously want to think about it. It will be in the back of our heads, but we have to move to the next one."
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I was already moving onto the next one when Travis Etienne scored a 6-yard touchdown with 1:33 left in the third quarter to make it Jaguars 29-10. I was looking up 6-3 starts in Jaguars history. I was jotting down how the Jaguars had the same record as the Buffalo Bills and getting ready to type how the Jaguars were playing better than the wheezing Indianapolis Colts .
REPORT CARD: Grading the Jaguars vs. Houston Texans was pretty easy, with lots of Fs
But then the avalanche began. Slowly and then rapidly.
The Texans made it 29-18 … and the Jaguars went three-and-out.
The Texans made it 29-24 … and the Jaguars went three-and-out.
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The Texans made it 30-29 … and the Jaguars reached the Texans' 43 (within kicker Cam Little's range) but offensive lineman Chuma Edoga was called for illegal use of hands. Trevor Lawrence was hit and intercepted as time expired.
One minute, it was happening in slow motion. The next minute, it was happening at triple speed.
"It (stinks) but this is truly a lesson we can definitely grow from," defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton said.
That was the common theme in the Jaguars' locker room. If they don't learn from this loss, their season is doomed. Watch the video, pick up the pieces and get ready for the next game.
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"Any team, any person, any profession, you have to be able to take adversity and bounce back," new receiver Jakobi Meyers said . "That's what we're going to do."
Coen's upcoming challenge
Want some good news?
Through Sunday's games, the 5-4 Jaguars — despite a 1-3 skid — remain in playoff position. They are the seventh and final seed in the AFC because of their Week 5 win over the Kansas City Chiefs (also 5-4). They are 2½ games behind Indianapolis in the AFC South, but have two head-to-head games remaining. And on the Jaguars' remaining schedule are the New York Jets (2-7), Arizona (3-6) and Tennessee twice (1-8).
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But what a challenge Coen has this week leading the Chargers game.
The way the Jaguars lost, it can have a ripple effect. It can linger in the minds of players and coaches just like it will their fans.
We won't know until the Nov. 16 Los Angeles Chargers game if there is a hangover.
Jacksonville Jaguars coach Liam Coen reacts following the team's 36-29 loss against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on Nov. 9, 2025 in Houston.
"That was the whole message in the locker room," Coen said. "This one is going to sting and it should, but we've got to move on. … We'll definitely have to challenge each other and get back on track."
Beat the Chargers and the Jaguars should be complimented for their resolve and bounce-back ability. Lose to the Chargers — and tumble back to .500 for the first time since Week 2 — and we'll still be talking about the fourth quarter of the Texans game.
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And the Jaguars know it.
"It's really tough," cornerback Greg Newsome said. "The good thing is there is a lot of football left. We're still set up in a pretty good position."
We will know for sure around 4 p.m. on Nov. 16.
Contact O'Halloran at rohalloran@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars must shake off historic collapse to Texans ASAP
