Jaguars' comeback push comes up short in rookie QB Jake Luton's debut

There were many times Sunday when Jaguars rookie quarterback Jake Luton had limited options.

He faced a menacing defensive front and had to scramble from the pocket a few times because of the Houston Texans’ blitz pressure. But he appeared poised under pressure, especially with just under two minutes remaining when he led the Jaguars on a seven-play, 80-yard touchdown drive.  

Coming in on a six-game losing streak, the Jaguars turned to Luton to see what he could bring in place of Gardner Minshew, who is out indefinitely with ligament damage in his right thumb.

For his first career start, Luton wasn’t bad —  but he couldn’t lead the Jaguars to a win.

The Jaguars lost to the Texans 27-25 in front of 15,666 at TIAA Bank Field. 

Luton scored on a 13-yard keeper with 1:13 remaining. However, on the two-point conversion attempt that would have tied the score, Luton threw behind DJ Chark on a pass that sailed incomplete.  

Luton completed 26 of 38 for 304 yards and a touchdown.  

The loss matches Coach Doug Marrone’s longest losing streak in his career in Jacksonville. In 2018, the Jaguars lost seven in a row before finishing 5-11.

Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson earned his sixth straight career win over the Jaguars.   

Luton, a sixth-round pick in the 2020 draft from Oregon State, gave a poised performance highlighted on the second play of the game when he connected with Chark on a deep post route for a 73-yard touchdown.

Luton had little trouble taking advantage of his arm strength, quick release and ability to see downfield because of his 6-foot-6 height.  

The Jaguars took advantage of short and intermediate passes and plenty of carries from rookie running back James Robinson to tie the score at 13 midway in the second quarter. On their eight-play drive, Robinson rushed for 45 yards on eight carries, including his 1-yard TD run.

But the Jaguars went into halftime trailing 20-16, despite Josh Lambo’s impressive 59-yard field goal at the end of the quarter.  

The Texans exposed the Jaguars’ vulnerability to the big-play in the third quarter when rookie cornerback CJ Henderson was beaten badly for a 77-yard touchdown.  

Luton also couldn’t avoid committing his most critical mistake of the game in the third quarter when he overthrew tight end James O’Shaughnessy that was intercepted by Texans cornerback Vernon Hargreaves.

The Jaguars' lone scoring drive in the second half before Luton's fourth-quarter touchdown run was Lambo’s 30-yard field goal in the third quarter.