HOUSTON, Tex. – Call this one frustrating. Really frustrating.

Call it a missed opportunity, too – with the Jaguars missing a chance for a big victory, and doing so in heartbreaking fashion.

Parker Washington scored two touchdowns, and the Jaguars took a huge early lead, but they squandered a chance to sweep their AFC South rivals – with the Houston Texans rallying from a 19-point second-half deficit for a 36-29 victory over the Jaguars at NRG Stadium Sunday afternoon.

"We didn't get it done," Head Coach Liam Coen said, with quarterback Trevor Lawrence adding, "We have to be able to put a team away when you have them down that much."

Added Lawrence, "You have to be able to close those games out. You have to win those."

The lead marked the Jaguars' largest in franchise history in a game they lost.

"The reality is we gave up a 19-point lead to lose the game," Coen said, "and part of winning in the National Football League is sustaining a lead. We just needed one stop, didn't get one and against a tough defense was hard, points were hard to come by."

Added Lawrence, "We had our opportunities, we just didn't take advantage of them."

Quarterback Davis Mills' 17-yard scramble with :31 remaining in the fourth quarter capped the Texans' rally, giving them a 30-29 lead. The two-point attempt failed.

Coen called the Jaguars' post-game reaction, "Disbelief."

"You have a 19-point lead and you can't hold on to it," he said. "That's disappointing. That's really disappointing against an in-division opponent on the road where you're controlling the game for the majority of it, with all three phases having an impact."

Texans defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins returned a fumble by Lawrence 32 yards for a touchdown on the game's final play for the final margin.

Washington, the Jaguars' third-year wide receiver, scored the Jaguars' first two touchdowns – both in the first half. Cam Little, the Jaguars' second-year kicker, converted all three of his field-goal attempts to extend and protect an early lead built off Texans turnovers.

"There were a lot of things we left out there," Lawrence said.

Washington scored on a seven-yard first-quarter touchdown reception for a 10-0 lead, and his 73-yard second-quarter punt return pushed the lead to 17.

Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. rushed for 58 yards on 16 carries, with his six-yard third-quarter touchdown giving the Jaguars a three-score lead late in the third quarter. The Jaguars managed just one first down and 11 total yards while being shut out in the fourth quarter.

"That's the No. 1 defense in the National Football League, and that's the reality," Coen said. "Points were definitely hard to come by, especially in the second half."

Mills threw fourth-quarter touchdown passes to wide receiver Jayden Higgins and tight end Dalton Schultz to rally the Texans to within five.

"We were trying to hold on to a lead and make them earn it, and we let up too many explosive plays," Coen said.

The Jaguars (5-4) lost for a third time in four games and trail the AFC South-leading Indianapolis Colts (8-2) by two and a half games. The Colts beat the Atlanta Falcons, 31-25, in overtime Sunday.

The Jaguars missed a chance at their first season sweep over the Texans (4-5) since 2017. The Jaguars beat the Texans, 17-10, in Jacksonville in Week 3.

"It's tough losing in general," said Lawrence, who completed 13 of 23 passes for 158 yards and one touchdown with one interception. "But to lose that way, to control the game and let it go and give it away is tough. It's tough to be in that locker room after a game like that.

"We have to bounce back. We have a long season ahead of us."

Mills, playing for injured starter C.J. Stroud (concussion) completed 27 of 45 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns with one interception, with cornerback Jarrian Jones intercepting Mills to set up a first-quarter field goal.

The Jaguars registered two takeaways Sunday, with rookie defensive end Danny Striggow recovering a fumble on an early Texans kickoff return to set up Washington's touchdown reception. Sunday marked the Jaguars first multi-takeaway game since Week 4, and they now have 17 takeaways for the season.

The Jaguars also registered two sacks Sunday – one each by safety Antonio Johnson and defensive tackle Arik Armstead – and now have 11 for the season.

"You want to finish that game," linebacker Devin Lloyd said.

"We want to close that team out. Credit to them. They found a way to make plays and get the job done, but for us it just comes down to execution down the stretch, and we weren't able to get the job done today."

2025 Week 10, Step by step:

• Little gave the Jaguars a 3-0 lead with 11:04 remaining in the first quarter, a score that came seven plays after Jones intercepted Mills to end the Texans' first possession. The Jaguars turned their second takeaway of the game into a 10-point lead, with Lawrence's 7-yard touchdown pass to Washington giving the Jaguars a 10-lead with 8:17 remaining in the first quarter, a play that came five plays after Striggow recovered a fumble by Texans kickoff returner Tremon Smith.
• Washington's punt return for a touchdown came with 11:40 remaining in the second quarter and pushed the Jaguars' lead to 17-0, with Texans kicker Matthew Wright capping the ensuing possession with a 23-yard field goal that cut the lead to 17-3 with 8:04 remaining in the half. Little's 53-yard field goal with 4:02 remaining in the half capped a seven-play, 40-yard drive and pushed the Jaguars' lead to 20-3. A one-yard run by Texans running back Woody Marks made it 20-10 with 4:02 remaining in the half.
• Little's 33-yard field goal capped a nine-play, 59-yard drive and pushed the Jaguars' lead to 23-10 with 10:17 remaining. Etienne's six-yard run that pushed the lead to 19 with 1:33 remaining in the third quarter capped an 11-play, 58-yard drive.
• Higgins' 12-yard reception on a pass from Mills and wide receiver Nico Collins' ensuing two-point reception cut the lead to 29-18 with 12:16 remaining. Mills capped the Texans' ensuing drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Schultz, cutting the Jaguars' lead to 29-24 with 7:29 remaining.

Notable: Jaguars wide receiver Dyami Brown played Sunday after being questionable with a concussion on Friday's final injury report of the week; the Jaguars' six inactive players Sunday: Starting left guard Ezra Cleveland (knee/ankle), tight end Hunter Long (hip/knee), running back Cody Schrader, starting wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (ankle), defensive tackle Austin Johnson and starting cornerback Jourdan Lewis (neck).

Injury report: Jaguars right tackle Anton Harrison and right guard Patrick Mekari sustained fourth-quarter knee injuries.