3 key stats that explain the Jaguars disappointing loss to the Texans

The Houston Texans own the Jacksonville Jaguars, and there’s no way around it. The last time the Jags managed to beat their AFC South rivals was in the distant year of 2017. And despite the fact that they have a legitimate chance to win in Week 5 and strengthen their lead in the division, they fell flat and lost 13-6.

It’s easy to talk about things a coach or a player could have done better with the benefit of hindsight and there are definitely several things that Jaguars could’ve done differently against the Texans. Head coach Doug Pederson knows it and told the media Monday he will have players watch films in order to get better. With that in mind, here are three stats that explain the Jags’ disappointing loss to Houston.

3. The Jaguars went had trouble converting in 3rd and 4th downs

The Jaguars registered 22 first downs against the Texans. That’s a healthy number but a closer look will reveal that they left several opportunities on the table. They had a 42.8 percent efficiency rate on third downs, which isn’t disastrous but isn’t great either. Also, they went 0-3 on their fourth down attempts. If you put the two together, their conversion rate drops to a subpar 35.2 percent (6-of-17).

Doug Pederson isn’t the kind of head coach that is afraid to go for it on fourth down and more often than not, his high-risk, high-reward approach pays off. However, it didn’t work against the Texans and instead ended up becoming detrimental.

On the other hand, the Jags’ defense deserves credit for holding ground. They weren’t perfect and didn’t have an answer for running back Dameon Pierce but they forced several three-and-outs and limited Houston to just 13 points. All things considered, they gave the offense a chance to come away with the W.