Good, Not So Good From Jaguars' London Loss to Texans: Defense Lets C.J. Stroud Thrive

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars will be entering the bye week with a loss.

The Jaguars saw their three-game winning streak come to an end in Week 6, the result of a 34-31 loss to the Houston Texans in London off a walk-off field goal by their AFC South rivals. So, what were the highs and the lows of the game and what do they mean? We break it down in this week's good and not so good.

The Good

Travis Hunter's Unicorn Ability

Football - NFL - Houston Texans v Jacksonville Jaguars - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - October 18, 2026 Jacksonville Jaguars' Travis Hunter celebrates intercepting a pass from Houston Texans' C.J. Stroud Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs | Action Images via Reuters

It was always clear that Travis Hunter was going to be a critical part of the Jaguars' success, and he once again proved to be worth the cost to land him. Hunter didn't have a perfect day, giving up a few catches and a few penalties, but his fourth-quarter two-way impact alone makes this a strong day for the former No. 2 pick. Had the Jaguars won that game, the big story would be about how Hunter had a generational two-way performance.

Hunter was tied for second in catches and third in receiving yards Sunday with four catches for 59 yards and a touchdown, easily his best day on offense this year. He had a 19-yard catch to set up an early Tuten touchdown and then caught three passes for 40 yards and a touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter to make it a three-point game. Add in his interception in the end -zone a few minutes later, and Sunday was a massive step in the right direction for Hunter.

Travis Hunter is the first player since Brian Dawkins in 2002 to record an INT and score a scrimmage TD in the same game 😤 https://t.co/hsOJwLOIgY pic.twitter.com/HfMwC0Q6G9
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) October 18, 2026

Trevor Lawrence's Production

bfl — Football - NFL - Houston Texans v Jacksonville Jaguars - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - October 18, 2026 Jacksonville Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence reacts Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs | Action Images via Reuters

While the Texans' defense hasn't been as stellar this season as everyone predicted, they are still a stout unit that has not allowed too many passers to have big days. No quarterback had thrown more than three touchdowns against the Texans this year, while Lawrence went 24-of-41 for 306 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Lawrence is the first quarterback to throw four touchdowns against the Texans since Sam Darnold did it in Week 3 of the 2024 season with the Minnesota Vikings ... 756 days ago. He and Darnold are the only quarterbacks to do it during the DeMeco Ryans era.

Lawrence's red-zone pick was obviously a bad play, but Lawrence is not within the top-10 reasons the Jaguars lost this game. Lawrence nearly had the Jaguars complete a stellar comeback after the Texans went up two scores, and this was a strong game for his continued momentum. Lawrence is improving week in and week out, and this week was no different.

The Running Back Room

nfl — Football - NFL - Houston Texans v Jacksonville Jaguars - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - October 18, 2026 Jacksonville Jaguars' Bhayshul Tuten celebrates scoring their second touchdown Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs | Action Images via Reuters

The Jaguars had a little thunder and lightning going on in the running back room on Sunday. Bhayshul Tuten had his first-ever two-touchdown game with two touchdown catches, catching four passes for 39 yards. He was not quite as good on the ground, but the Jaguars were still able to establish the run whenever they needed to with Chris Rodriguez toting the rock 11 times for 55 yards. It is the first time this season Rodriguez has led the Jaguars in rushing, and he certainly set a physical tone.

The Jaguars are at their best on offense when they are balanced and able to keep defenses on their heels in terms of the run/pass guessing game. When both running backs are making plays like they did on Sunday, it opens up a lot of things for Liam Coen on the play-call sheet, and should make the Jaguars an even better team as the season goes on.

Cam Little's Consistency

nfl — Oct 18, 2026; London, ENG; Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Cam Little (39) reacts during the second half against the Houston Texans at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I have other thoughts on the Jaguars' 60-yard field goal by Cam Little with 1:55 left in the game, but first ... what a kick by Little. Making big kick after big kick, both in terms of distances and the moments in which he makes them, has made Little one of the best kickers in the NFL. He has always been talented, and now he is starting to become more consistent each week, giving the Jaguars a true special teams weapon.

The Not So Good

Liam Coen's Game Management

nfl — Oct 18, 2026; London, ENG; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen during the first half against the Houston Texans at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Liam Coen is one of the best head coaches in the NFL, but he also has had a few game management blunders in the last few weeks. I understood why he punted the ball on an early fourth-down, but the three points he didn't take in the first-half came back to bite him. There is a time and place to go for it on fourth down, and I am not sure the Jaguars' passing game had yet gotten into a groove at that point to justify turning down likely three points.

Then there was the Little field goal at the end of the game. That entire process felt off to me, and here is why: just because Little can make the field goal, doesn't mean the Jaguars should kick it. It felt, to me, like the decision to have Little kick it was more so a show of confidence in the defense to get a stop than it felt like Coen playing for overtime. The issue is that just because the defense had been really good in the previous five games doesn't mean they had it today.

The odds of the Jaguars winning that game with a turnover on downs was zero. The odds of winning it after Little's kick weren't much higher. The only way for the Jaguars to win that game would have been to go for it. Add in not running the ball on any of the six plays the Jaguars ran that drive, and it was some odd game management.

The Pass-Rush ... and Entire Pass Defense

nfl — Football - NFL - Houston Texans v Jacksonville Jaguars - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - October 18, 2026 Houston Texans' Jaylin Noel catches a pass from C.J. Stroud to score their third touchdown Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs | Action Images via Reuters

It feels like you can't point the finger for the Jaguars' defensive issues at any one person or position group, which seems concerning. The Jaguars were giving up explosive plays and having coverage busts from the first drives of the game, and it felt like the entire secondary turn different turns making mistakes in coverage, and the linebackers were not much better.

The Jaguars' pass-rush did not seem to sniff Stroud, even when they blitzed. The Jaguars had two quarterback hits and no sacks in a game that felt a lot like the Denver game. The turf wasn't good for pass-rushers, of course, but that doesn't change the fact that the Jaguars got nothing from the unit when they needed them most.

The Officials

nfl — Oct 18, 2026; London, ENG; The Jacksonville Jaguars mascot performs before the game against the Houston Texans at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Jaguars can't blame the refs for all of their penalty woes. The Jaguars have made several penalties on their own entirely that are nobody's fault but their own. But with that in mind, there were several woeful calls that went one way and directly impacted ghe game, leading arguably to a 14-point swing. Had officials swallowed their whistles a few times, this games goes much, much differently. The calls did not seem to even be close, either, especially the Brenton Strange holding call that took a Bhayshul Tuten touchdown off the board.

#Jaguars RB Bhayshul Tuten just lost a TD because the refs called Brenton Strange for holding on a play he didn't hold. 🤦‍♂️pic.twitter.com/BwsmqHsEtO
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) October 18, 2026

The NFL's officials have been judged and challenged more at the start of this season than any other in recent memory, and it isn't hard to see why with weeks like the Jaguars have had. The Jaguars get in their own way enough, it hardly helps for the officials to get in their way with a number of phantom calls at significant moments.

Self-Inflicted Wounds

Football - NFL - Houston Texans v Jacksonville Jaguars - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - October 18, 2026 Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen looks on Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs | Action Images via Reuters

The Jaguars have been their own worst enemy several times throughout their 4-2 start, but they have managed to hide the issue with wins. That didn't happen on Sunday, though, with the Jaguars once again getting in their own way countless times. From the red-zone pick to the too many players on the field penalty to a host of other mistakes, the Jaguars once again made things harder on themselves than they had to at any point.

For the Jaguars to win big games, they will have to clean up the small mistakes that keep coming up in the big moments. It is because of those mistakes that they are 4-2 instead of 5-1 and even 6-0. The Jaguars knew they would have to play a clean game to get a tough AFC South win on the road in London, but they got anything but.

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