Mac Jones and other standouts in the Jaguars' disheartening loss to the Texans

The hit linebacker Azeez A-Shaair laid on Trevor Lawrence took center stage in the Week 13 matchup between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans. However, it happened early in the game, and the show had to go on. Once Mac Jones took over, the Jags did their best to fend off Houston but came up short. At 2-9, their season has come to an unceremonious end.

Sure, Jacksonville isn't technically eliminated from playoff contention yet, but it's a matter of time before it does. Still, it was encouraging to see players fight until the very end, even if it wasn't enough. And on a day in which things didn't go the way the team planned, here are a handful of players who stepped up for the Jaguars.

Mac Jones, quarterback

Mac Jones was dreadful during Trevor Lawrence's two-week absence but played much better when he was pressed into action against the Texans, completing 62.5 percent of his throws for 235 yards with two touchdowns.

It wasn't ultimately enough, but it was encouraging to see Jones bounce back and show that he can keep the offense afloat if Lawrence has to miss time. After the loss, Jones had nothing but praise for his teammates, noting that they stick up for each other.

"There's definitely no quit, and we have everyone has each other's backs. And I noticed that the day I got traded here," Jones told the local media. "So these guys care about the people in the locker room, coaches, players, front office, so we just got to keep moving forward and try and make some more plays."

Walker Little, offensive tackle

One of the biggest storylines ahead of the divisional matchup was that the Jags gave Walker Little a three-year extension worth $45 million just hours before the game. The former Stanford Cardinal went on to show why he got rewarded, giving up just one total pressure on 47 pass-blocking snaps.

On a side note, Little got flak because he supposedly just stood by when Trevor Lawrence got hit but the truth is that he was next to his quarterback making sure he was fine.

Parker Washington, wide receiver

With wide receiver Christian Kirk out for the remainder of the season, the Jaguars have leaned on Parker Washington heavily. The former Penn State Nittany Lion has made the most out of his chances and proved in Week 13 that he's ready to step into a featured role full-time, hauling in six receptions for 103 yards with one touchdown.

On top of that, Washington caught the two-point conversion to draw the Jags within 23-20 of Houston.

Brian Thomas Jr., wide receiver

Like Washington, Brian Thomas Jr. stood up during Trevor Lawrence's absence, catching four passes for 76 yards with one touchdown.

Granted, Thomas had a puzzling drop, and his numbers would've been much better if Jones had been a bit more accurate.

Either way, it was good to see the Jaguars getting Thomas involved on offense.

Travon Walker, defensive end

Travon Walker logged on sack agains the Texans and now has 8.5 for the season.

But as productive as Walker was, he recognized that he and the rest of the defense must do more.

"It's not enough, "Walker told the local media after the game. "Just in certain moments, we have to step up even more, even though we might have had some good plays here and once, once it comes to the end of the game, we have to finish. Obviously, we didn't finish."

That's the kind of accoutability and self-awareness you want to see in your locker room leaders.

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