By Hays Carlyon
If the 2025 Jaguars season ends in total collapse, like the 2023 campaign, we will all easily be able to trace the moment where it began.
Sunday, Nov. 8 in Houston right around 3 p.m.
That’s roughly when the Texans mounted a 19-point comeback to beat the Jaguars 36-29.
Make no mistake: this was one of the most stunning losses in franchise history.
A chance to move to 6-3. Gone.
A chance to sweep the Texans for the first time since 2017. Gone.
A chance to basically end Houston’s season by dropping the Texans to 3-6. Gone.
Instead, the Jaguars handed the Texans a huge life preserver in the form of the worst fourth quarter a professional team could ever play. The Jaguars were outscored 26-0 in the final stanza, managing 1 yard of offense.
That’s right. You and me, together, had 1 fewer fourth-quarter yard than the Jaguars. Good work.
The Jaguars (5-4) also dropped another game behind Indianapolis (8-2) in the AFC South race. The Colts showed gumption, converting a fourth-and-2 to stage their comeback against the Atlanta Falcons in an overtime win earlier Sunday in Germany.
We will find out what kind of team the Jaguars are now. What kind of gumption exists here?
This is definitely the kind of loss that can turn into two, then three and then four and then the season is over.
Coach Liam Coen is going to face a massive challenge this week getting this team ready to beat the Los Angeles Chargers in the Jaguars’ first game in Jacksonville in five weeks.
This will be a test of your fandom too. They will need you loud on Sunday. The Chargers game could easily have playoff tiebreaker implications. It should feel like a playoff environment.
The question I keep coming back to is how has Coen won five games?
All his “stars” are underperforming.
Trevor Lawrence, Josh Hines-Allen, Brian Thomas Jr. and Travon Walker have underachieved. Lawrence might have been expected to some degree, but Hines-Allen, Thomas and Walker are having disappointing seasons based on their previous high-level contributions.
Tyson Campbell got traded.
The nucleus Coen and general manager James Gladstone inherited this offseason certainly looks much weaker than I thought.
Still, they are 5-4. They’re in it heading to Week 11.
In the summer, you dreamed that the Chargers game would be meaningful. It popped as soon as you saw the schedule.
Well, it is meaningful.
Beat the Chargers and the Texans sting will subside.
Lose and the playoffs will start to look bleak.
Hey, the Bills lost to the Dolphins 30-13 on Sunday.
Stuff happens in the NFL.
Sunday stunk.
They will need you at EverBank Stadium this Sunday.
(You can email Hays at [email protected] and follow him on X/Twitter @HaysCarlyon).
