Postgame review: Jaguars lose to Houston Texans in first game since Urban Meyer firing

The Jacksonville Jaguars take on the Houston Texans on Sunday at TIAA Bank Field, the Jaguars' first game since owner Shad Khan announced the firing of head coach Urban Meyer early on Thursday morning amid a multitude of controversies. The Texans, who beat Jacksonville in Week 1, and Jaguars both rank near the bottom of the standings but near the top of the 2022 NFL Draft order. The game matches rookie quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Davis Mills. Sunday's meeting will also be the head coaching debut in Jacksonville for interim coach Darrell Bevell, who previously served an interim stint with the Detroit Lions.

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5:50 p.m. | Special teams woes, Texans' Fairbairn sink Jaguars

Perhaps in the spirit of the holidays, the Houston Texans gave the Jaguars a gift during the third quarter of Sunday's game at TIAA Bank Field when their punt coverage team lost contain and allowed a 48-yard return by Jaydon Mickens after, perhaps foolishly, he fielded the ball at his own goal line.

But like a kid who breaks one of his new toys five minutes after opening the box on Christmas morning, the Jaguars found a way to ruin the longest punt return of the season. | Read more --Garry Smits

5:45 p.m. | Report Card: Another all-around failure for Jaguars

Times-Union columnist Gene Frenette grades the Jaguars' performance against Houston. | Read more --Gene Frenette

4:11 p.m. | Quick takeaways: Jaguars move to No. 1 draft slot with loss

In his interim head coaching debut Sunday, the Jaguars' Darrell Bevell experienced many of the same problems as Urban Meyer did during his 13 games as head coach before he was fired last week. | Read more --John Reid

4:06 p.m. | FINAL: Houston 30, Jacksonville 16

It's over... and the losing goes on for the Jaguars in Darrell Bevell's first game as head coach.

3:53 p.m. | Touchdown Texans: Brandin Cooks TD puts game away

That'll wrap this up. On third-and-9, the Jaguars needed a stop, and they didn't get it.

Instead, Davis Mills found Brandin Cooks on a screen pass, and the receiver zoomed 43 yards to the end zone for the clincher.

Texans 30, Jaguars 16, 2:22 4th.

3:47 p.m. | Dropped pass forces a punt

Drops have further added to the Jaguars' woes in the fourth quarter. Trevor Lawrence had Laquon Treadwell open for a first down, but... the receiver dropped the ball. Oops.

Houston gets the ball back, leading 23-16 with 5:11 to go.

3:28 p.m. | Matthew Wright field goal makes it a one-score game

No progress, again, on offense, as the Jaguars can't turn the interception into a touchdown. But after three plays on offense, including a couple of hard hits on Trevor Lawrence, Matthew Wright is on for the 45-yard kick.

Texans 23, Jaguars 16, 11:18 4t

3:25 p.m. | It's a pick! Tyson Campbell intercepts Houston

The solid second half of rookie cornerback Tyson Campbell continues. He jumps on an out route and picks off the Texans' Davis Mills at the Houston 25, only the Jags' sixth interception on the season. It's optimal field position for the Jags.

3:20 p.m. | End of 3rd quarter: Houston 23, Jacksonville 13

One quarter remaining for the Jags.

3:05 p.m. | Matthew Wright field goal narrows deficit

The Jaguars aren't out of this yet. Trevor Lawrence is still in search of his first TD pass of the day, and a few of his attempts on this possession weren't precisely on target, but the Jags did manage to advance the ball to the fringe of the red zone. But an offensive pass interference penalty backed them up, leading to a Matthew Wright 38-yard field goal.

Texans 23, Jaguars 13, 4:47 3rd.

2:51 p.m. | Field goal Texans: Fairbairn extends Houston lead

No doubt about it: Houston has won the special teams battle today. After a long pass from Davis Mills to former Jag Phillip Dorsett, the Jaguars' defense stuffed the Texans in the red zone. But Ka'imi Fairbairn came out once more to convert a field goal, this one from 25 yards.

Texans 23, Jaguars 10, 10:39 3rd.

2:41 p.m. | Third quarter kicks off

Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville offense go to work, trailing 20-10 in the second half.

2:28 p.m. | HALFTIME: Houston 20, Jacksonville 10

One more for the Texans before the break. The Jaguars turned over on downs at the Houston 35 when Trevor Lawrence got stuffed on a fourth-down sneak. Then, after a couple of passes from Davis Mills, the Texans advanced into field goal range on a pass to former Jag Chris Conley.

As the clock ticked away, Ka'imi Fairbairn converted another 52-yard field goal for a two-score Houston lead.

2:20 p.m. | James Robinson down

This isn't good for the Jaguars. James Robinson is down on the field after what looked like a hit to his knee. The running back is heading to the sidelines.

2:15 p.m. | Too many men on the field? Fan enters field during TD

Wondering what happened on that Jaguars touchdown in the second quarter? | Read more

2:11 p.m. | Field goal Texans: Ka'imi Fairbairn is good from distance

The playing conditions are a mess, but the rain didn't stop Ka'imi Fairbairn from converting a 52-yard field goal for Houston. That ended a messy drive with several penalties.

Texans 17, Jaguars 10, 3:06 2nd.

2:02 p.m. | Downpour at the Bank

It's getting soggy at TIAA Bank Field. Fans are scurrying for cover as the skies open.

1:47 p.m. | Touchdown Jaguars: James Robinson in end zone

That was an excellent drive for the Jaguars. James Robinson rushed for a pair of double-digit gains behind left tackle Cam Robinson, and Trevor Lawrence passed to Laquon Treadwell for a gain of 21.

In the end, James Robinson plowed into the end zone from 1 yard out to get the Jaguars a touchdown, wrapping up a 75-yard march. Bizarrely, a fan had entered the field on the play and was in the end zone during the live ball, but officials didn't notice and didn't stop the action.

Texans 14, Jaguars 10, 12:09 2nd.

1:40 p.m. | End of 1st quarter: Houston 14, Jacksonville 3

The Jaguars are playing from behind yet again.

1:29 p.m. | Touchdown Texans: Tremon Smith takes the kickoff all the way

The Jaguars' momentum did not last. Tremon Smith grabbed the kickoff and surged straight down the middle, breaking away from numerous would-be Jaguars tacklers, and 98 yards later, he jogged into the end zone for the highlight-reel kickoff return. Houston hadn't scored on a kickoff return since 2009.

It got worse for the Jaguars: Starting safety Rayshawn Jenkins was injured on the kickoff coverage unit, suffering an apparent leg injury in the pileup around the 30-yard line, leaving the field on a cart.

Texans 14, Jaguars 3, 1:26 1st.

1:25 p.m. | Matthew Wright kicks Jaguars onto board

A long drive for the Jaguars, but no touchdown to show for it. Trevor Lawrence found a nice rhythm on that possession, throwing a 30-yard pass to James O'Shaughnessy and a first-down pass to Chris Manhertz to enter the red zone.

After that, though, the offense ran out of momentum. Interim coach Darrell Bevell called for a James Robinson run on third-and-10, which advanced the ball inside the 5 but didn't pick up the first down. Rather than going for the first down, the Jags summoned the field goal unit and Matthew Wright booted a 22-yarder.

Texans 7, Jaguars 3, 1:42 1st.

1:15 p.m. | Touchdown Texans: Brandin Cooks TD caps long drive

Now that had a familiar feel to it. Much like the Jaguars' loss to the 49ers, the Jacksonville defense gave up a looooooooong opening possession, in this case a 15-play, 75-yard marathon march. It ended when Davis Mills found Brandin Cooks on a 21-yard touchdown strike over the middle on third down.

Note, though, that it didn't have to end like that. The Jaguars forced Houston into an apparent three-and-out with the punting unit coming on, but Jacksonville defensive tackle Adam Gotsis was flagged for illegal use of hands to the face before the Texans launched the punt. That gave the Texans an automatic first down and extended the possession.

Texans 7, Jaguars 0, 6:39 1st.

1:01 p.m. | Texans to get football first

It's kickoff time. The Jaguars deferred the coin toss, so Joe Cullen's defensive unit will take the field first for the Jags.

12:50 p.m. | Doug Pederson, Byron Leftwich could emerge as potential candidates to replace Urban Meyer

It is not known at this point if Shad Khan plans to lead the coaching search with team president Mark Lamping as they did in January, or hire an outside consultant to help him as he did before when Gus Bradley was hired in 2013 after Mike Mularkey was fired after one season.

Here are some potential replacements before Jaguars begin their search for a new head coach that is expected to start after the season ends on Jan. 9 against the Indianapolis Colts. | Read more --John Reid

12:40 p.m. | 'The players are happy again': Jaguars fans react to Urban Meyer firing on Twitter

Beyond a dreadful 2-11 record, Urban Meyer also was a public relations disaster for the franchise. And the Jaguars fan base appears to be in favor of owner Shad Khan's decision to fire Meyer with four games left in the regular season. | Read more --John Reid

12:30 p.m. | Gene Frenette: Tony Dungy says Jaguars must identify leader who unites locker room

Jaguars owner Shad Khan already has the football version of the “golden sombrero” attached to his resume, having struck out on his first four coaching hires.

No owner in the NFL modern era has endured more losing in his first decade than Khan’s record of 43-117 (.269). Khan could use sage advice from a rational, prescient NFL savant, preferably someone who has successfully navigated the coaching roller coaster and made it to the mountaintop. | Read more --Gene Frenette

12:20 p.m. | Roundtable: Who is the best fit to replace Urban Meyer for the Jaguars?

Florida Times-Union staff writers John Reid and Garry Smits and sports columnist Gene Frenette conducted a roundtable discussion to determined the Jaguars' next step in what they should look for in the next head coach, along with what needs to occur during the final four games under interim head coach Darrell Bevell. | Read more --The Times-Union

12:10 p.m. | Jaguars players more 'focused' than relieved about the firing of Urban Meyer

The Jaguars' practice on Thursday, nearly 12 hours after former coach Urban Meyer was fired, was very much like a release of emotion, at least for the 20 minutes the media was allowed to watch. | Read more --Garry Smits

12 p.m. | Shad Khan's spokesman: decision to fire Urban Meyer was made Sunday after Titans game

Jaguars owner Shad Khan's spokesman issued a statement Friday night that the decision to fire Urban Meyer early Thursday morning had already been determined before former kicker Josh Lambo went public with his allegation that Meyer kicked him during a practice in August. | Read more --John Reid

11:50 a.m. | New day begins as Darrell Bevell takes over

On Darrell Bevell's first day as the Jaguars' new interim head coach Thursday, there was no emcee directing players to hydrate or giving the countdown before the next drill starts.

That used to be the practice routine when Urban Meyer was in charge. But a new day has arrived with Meyer out as head coach and Bevell in with new responsibilities. | Read more --John Reid

11:40 a.m. | Jaguars vs. Texans predictions

See what Times-Union writers expect for the Jaguars' first game since the firing of Urban Meyer. | Read more --The Times-Union

11:30 a.m. | Gene Frenette: Jaguars had to fire Urban Meyer for his embarrassing NFL tenure

Despite his reputation as one of the NFL’s most patient executives, Jaguars’ owner Shad Khan clearly had enough. He couldn’t stand any longer to put up with the bad optics attached to his head coach, Urban Meyer.

So around 12:30 a.m. Thursday, one of the shortest coaching tenures in league history officially ended when Meyer got the firing he richly deserved for his plain all-around incompetence. | Read more --Gene Frenette

11:20 a.m. | Past Gator Bowl chairman Rich Thompson calls former Wisconsin teammate Darrell Bevell 'cerebral ... a fighter'

Count Rich Thompson among those who believe interim coach Bevell’s personality will be the perfect tonic for the beleaguered Jaguars as they try to get through the final month of the season. | Read more --Garry Smits

11:10 a.m. | Timeline of Urban Meyer's Jaguars controversies

From the controversial hiring of former Iowa strength coach Chris Doyle -- and his almost immediate resignation -- to the incident in a Columbus, Ohio, restaurant with a woman and run-ins with his staff and players, Urban Meyer's time with the Jaguars was marked by one on- and off-field incident after another. | Read more --Garry Smits

11 a.m. | Jaguars coming off tumultuous week highlighted by end of the Urban Meyer era

The Jaguars are coming off one of the most tumultuous weeks in their 26-year history.

It started after Sunday's 20-0 loss to the Tennessee Titans when Urban Meyer appeared to be more quick-tempered about anyone from his staff leaking information to the media than his team's lackluster performance. | Read more --John Reid

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Houston Texans: Live score after Urban Meyer fired