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Liam Coen had a tough call to make at Wembley Stadium. The Jacksonville Jaguars trailed by three and faced fourth-and-4 at the Houston 42 just after the two-minute warning, so he sent out Cam Little, who drilled a 60-yard field goal to tie it 31-31 with 1:55 left. C.J. Stroud then used nearly every second of that time to hand Jacksonville a 34-31 loss in London.
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Coen owned the decision. “Every decision, it’s a coach’s decision,” he said a day later, via the team’s website. He explained the logic in terms of the scoreboard: “If we go down and go down by six points, now we have to go score a touchdown.” He has also said the process won’t change after the loss.
How Houston’s final drive unfolded
Houston needed only a field goal, and it got there in seven plays covering 36 yards. The key snap came on third-and-2, when Stroud found running back Woody Marks for 19 yards to move the Texans into range. Ka’imi Fairbairn finished it with a 49-yard field goal as time expired.
None of that should have surprised anyone. Stroud went 24 of 34 for 312 yards with three touchdown passes, and his one turnover was an interception in the end zone by Travis Hunter on the previous series. Per PFF, Stroud carries an 84.0 overall grade this season, eighth among 34 qualifying quarterbacks, and leads the position with 11 big-time throws.
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Jaguars.com senior writer John Oehser called it a close decision, writing, “It seemed from this view like a 50-50 call, without a great option.” He has a point, and a fourth-and-4 against a strong Texans defense is no sure thing. Still, the kick was the wrong call. Tying the game handed nearly two minutes to a quarterback who had already thrown for more than 300 yards, and a conversion would have let Jacksonville drain the clock and play for the final score itself.
That debate will hang over Duval through the bye week, even with the Jaguars at 4-2 and the AFC South lead still intact. The next checkpoint is how Coen plays his next fourth down with the game in the balance, because his team has already slipped in the power rankings once.
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More on the Jacksonville Jaguars
- Jaguars Slip Out of the Top Five in Two NFL Power Rankings After Losing to the Texans in London
- Jaguars Snap Counts Show Josh Cameron Taking Brian Thomas Jr.’s Role Into the Bye
- Jaguars Week 6 Stock Report: Travis Hunter Makes History, but Jarrian Jones’ Penalties Sting
- Why Was Brian Thomas Jr. Benched in London? Answering 5 Questions Jaguars Fans Are Asking
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This story was originally published October 20, 2026 at 12:34 PM.