HOUSTON, Tex. – This one was brutal and potentially season-wrecking.

That's an honest assessment of the Jaguars’ 36-29 loss to the Houston Texans Sunday, a loss that came in heartbreakingly frustrating fashion as the Jaguars squandered a 19-point fourth-quarter lead at NRG Stadium in Houston.

The Jaguars agonizingly missed a chance to move to 6-3 – and while they are still very much in playoff contention, the difference between 6-3 and 5-4 is big.

The task now for the Jaguars: Respond and recover. Sunday's loss, while a gut punch, doesn't have to completely end the hopes and good feelings of a 5-3 start.

Liam Coen has been remarkable to date in his first season as the Jaguars' head coach. This team believes in him. Getting the team to respond after this will be his toughest test to date. Here's guessing the Jaguars indeed respond. But it will be hard. Damned hard.

Let's get to it …

Andy from Alpharetta, GA

Wow. And not in a good way.

My Scooby Sense – and not my Scobee or Spidey Sense – tells me this O-Zone Late Night may be a whole lotta ventin' and complainin' along these lines. Along with a few tarty one-liners. And how else should fans react after Sunday? The Jaguars had the game won. Then they had multiple chances to close. And they didn't. There may have been harder-to-swallow losses in the 15 seasons I've written about the Jaguars in this forum, but I'm hard-pressed to remember them. So, commence with the ventin and complainin' – and give us your tarty one-liners. On this night, it's all more than fair.

Jensen from Lake Jackson, TX

Hahaha. Wow! That was impressive, John, just not the right impressive.

Tarty …

Bob from Weaverville, NC

This was a less than desirable result. I don't believe the fans care for this much at all...

… and more tarty.

Darrell from Chippewa Falls

Is Trevor on the hot seat yet? How much longer do they give him?

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is not on "the hot seat." He will be the quarterback for the foreseeable future. I received many, many emails along these lines. He didn't play great. He was far from alone. He also doesn't rush the passer, play defensive back or pass block. It was a tough fourth quarter all around.

Scott from Jax in Rehoboth Bch DE

Well, that was very, very depressing O-Man.....

Damned right it was depressing – and not just for fans and observers. This was the sort of game that stuns a team – particularly players. It will take a lot to move on and remotivate. I don't doubt Coen can get this team to respond, but it's a real storyline.

Roger from Jax

Colossal meltdown.

Yup.

Rhino from Fleming

I hate being a Jags fan. The offensive line is utterly terrible, the defensive line can't rush the quarterback stop a runner and our linebackers are ALWAYS out of position. BOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Rhino very understandably did not take the Jaguars' loss to the Texans well.

Tony from Johns Creek, GA

O, not the "same old Jags," just a different version of the "same old Jags."

Tony's got jokes …

Fred from Naples, FL

Can we please take the wildcat OUT of the playbook?

This was the much-ballyhooed, often-misplaced, sometimes-craaaaazy First Email of the Game. Fred apparently dislikes the Wildcat formation, from which running back Travis Etienne Jr. takes a direct snap and usually runs. The Jaguars have used the Wildcat several times the past two games. It hasn't worked with terrific effectiveness, but it gives the defense a different look. I expect the Jaguars to keep using it, Fred's displeasure notwithstanding.

Genuine Jag 13 from Duval

Has there been a game this season Trevor did not throw interception?

Yes. Three of them.

Jeremy from Gilbert, AZ

The NFL has become the pathetic league of cowards with no backbone. When are they going to out flags on QBs? Before long, we'll be paying grown men big money to play flag football.

This came in the first half Sunday, immediately after a roughing-the-passer penalty on defensive end Travon Walker negated a sack. By letter of the rule, it was a penalty because Walker made contact with Texans quarterback Davis Mills' helmet. It would have been hard for Walker to play the play differently. It's a tough situation.

Brian from Jacksonville

The bear didn't just get us, he chewed slowly then showed our heart. From a fan's perspective, a lot of weaknesses were exposed. Fair? Maybe we need bear spray.

This was a brutal loss – for the bear, and for the fans. The Jaguars are not a perfect team. We knew that before Sunday and we saw it again Sunday. I wrote all last week that I thought the Jaguars were going to be in a lot of one-score games the rest of the season, and that they would win some they weren't "supposed" to win and lose some they weren't "supposed" to lose. I don't know if they were "supposed" to win or lose Sunday, but they should have won. The Jaguars are still a team that should be in a lot of close games the rest of the season. Will they maintain the fight and the ability to punch their way to enough to get in the postseason? That, from this view, is the storyline entering the final two months.