NFL

SLOPPY START: Jaguars unravel in 37-21 in loss to Texans in Trevor Lawrence's debut

John Reid
Florida Times-Union

HOUSTON - Jaguars franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Coach Urban Meyer made their long-awaited debuts in Sunday's regular-season opener against the Texans. 

But this is one they might want to forget because the Jaguars were outcoached, outplayed and never mounted much of a fight in an embarrassing 37-21 loss to Houston at NRG Stadium.  

The Jaguars looked unprepared, out of rhythm and mistake-filled. It definitely wasn't the unveiling of a new era that both an optimistic Jaguars fan base and Meyer had in mind.

Probably the worst stretch of the day came near the end of the first half. The Texans had the ball at its own 31 with 37 seconds remaining before halftime, and the Jaguars still managed to let them score a touchdown. They couldn't stop Tyrod Taylor from connecting downfield to Brandin Cooks for a 52-yard catch before Danny Amendola scored on a 8-yard catch on a crossing route. 

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence reacts after a penalty in the second quarter. The rookie passed for three touchdowns but also three interceptions as the Texans beat Jacksonville 37-21 in the debut for Lawrence and head coach Urban Meyer.

Jaguars Report Card:What went right and wrong in Jaguars' game against Houston Texans

Photos from Houston:Jaguars vs. Texans in Trevor Lawrence's NFL debut

It was that kind of afternoon. The Jaguars struggled to line up correctly, avoid penalties and find a rhythm on both sides of the ball.

Meyer looked visibly disappointed in his postgame interview, especially when he spoke about their self-inflicted problems such as the substantial amount of penalties on their first couple of drives.

''I just talked to our defensive coordinator, we had him (quarterback Tyrod Taylor) several times in the grasp, at least three times and he extended the play,'' Meyer said. ''And shoot a couple of times, he just launched it down the field and those guys made plays. But I believe in our team and I believe in our staff.''

Meyer had fared 17-0 in season openers during his tenure as a college coach. But he'll go into next week's home opener against the Denver Broncos 0-1 after coaching his first NFL game.

After Lawrence threw his first career touchdown pass early in the second quarter to tight end Chris Manhertz from 22 yards to help cut the Texans' lead to 14-7, it went downhill from there for the Jaguars. The Texans scored 20 consecutive points, including Taylor's 8-yard touchdown pass to Amendola and Phillip Lindsay's 5-yard run into the end zone. 

Optimism reigned for the Jaguars because of Meyer and Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick in the April draft. The Jaguars, who were three-point favorites to win the game, had a large contingent of fans that made the trip to Houston. With 33 new players on the roster, the Texans were projected to be a last-place contending team in the AFC South. Their franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson, who did not play Sunday, asked for a trade and he is facing 22 civil lawsuits for allegations of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior. But the Texans looked just fine without him.

Lawrence, however, had a tough debut. For the first time since he's played football, he had a three-interception game. Lawrence ended the day completing 28 of 51 passes for 332 yards and three touchdowns.

''Losing is always hard, especially when you feel you are prepared and had a good week," Lawrence said. ''I really think we were, but we obviously didn't play well. It starts with me, I really played bad tonight."

Here are five takeaways from the game.

Texans running back Phillip Lindsay runs for a touchdown as Jaguars linebacker Damien Wilson chases during the second half Sunday.

Lawrence had a few good moments, like tossing his first-ever touchdown pass early in the second quarter when he connected to tight end Manhertz on a seam route in the end zone.

But Lawrence didn't see much of a clean pocket and instead of looking away receivers to help move the safeties, he locked in too much, especially with DJ Chark. He often tried to force a big play, but he ended up making a bad read that resulted in a misfired pass or an interception. He threw three interceptions in all.

Some of Lawrence's throws sailed behind receivers, and a few times he led them too much. But there were also too many passes that bounced off the hands of receivers, especially early in the game from tight end James O'Shaughnessy, Marvin Jones Jr. and Chark — miscues that killed a few early drives.

In all, the Jaguars' receivers, tight end and running backs dropped six passes.   

The offensive line was the biggest question mark entering the season, and it will continue to be a point of concern from Sunday's performance. 

If the unit wasn't jumping offsides, they were allowing too much penetration into the pocket to make Lawrence uncomfortable enough to move around frequently and force throws. Their failure to get much of a push led to the Jaguars' inability to extend drives throughout the game.

This past week, defensive coordinator Joe Cullen put a heavy emphasis for his defense to contain Taylor in the pocket and limit his ability to make plays off the run.  They struggled big-time to follow the plan.

Taylor did what he wanted to, and the Jaguars didn't have an answer. The Jaguars couldn't set the edge effectively or stay in front of wide receiver Cooks when he was targeted on deep throws.

With the Jaguars having outside linebackers Josh Allen and K'Lavon Chaisson come hard off the edge, it oftentimes left the flat open, and the inside linebackers were late getting back into coverage to make a play. 

It didn't matter what side Cooks lined up, starting cornerbacks CJ Henderson and Shaquill Griffin struggled to keep him in front of them. Cooks was targeted seven times, and caught five passes for 132 yards.