HOUSTON, Texas – That was better. At least a little. It just wasn’t enough.

The Jaguars played with grit and spirit on Sunday, but the result was that their deficit in the AFC South only grew larger.

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw two touchdown passes and the Jaguars led early and late, but the division-leading Houston Texans rallied twice – once in the first half and again in the second – to earn a 24-20 victory at NRG Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Running back Dare Ogunbowale’s one-yard touchdown reception from quarterback CJ Stroud gave the Texans the lead with 18 minutes remaining. It was the culmination of a nine-play, 69-yard drive.

The Jaguars are 0-4. The Texans lead the AFC South at 3-1.

Lawrence completed 18 of 33 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, with his short first-quarter touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. giving the Jaguars their first lead since Week 1. The Jaguars trailed 34-3 at halftime of a 47-10 loss to Buffalo six days earlier.

Lawrence’s second touchdown pass – to wide receiver Christian Kirk – gave the Jaguars a 17-13 lead in the third quarter and was the only score of the second half until the Texans’ game-winning touchdown. The Texans stopped the Jaguars on downs after Jacksonville faced first-and-goal at the Texans’ 4-yard line late in the third quarter.

Rookie kicker Cam Little converted field goals from 41 and 52 yards in the first half, and the second goal brought the Jaguars within one point late in the second quarter – 14-13.

Stroud completed 27 of 40 passes for 345 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.

The Jaguars recorded two sacks and no takeaways on defense Sunday, with defensive lineman Jeremiah Ledbetter recording a sack in the second quarter and defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris recording a sack in the fourth quarter. They also had something special on special teams early in the first quarter when safety Daniel Thomas deflected a botched punt at the Texans’ 2-yard line, setting up the game’s first touchdown.