HOUSTON, Texas – This was better. At least a bit. It just wasn't enough.

The Jaguars played with grit and desire Sunday, but the result was their AFC South deficit only got deeper.

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 – for a 24-20 victory at NRG Stadium Sunday afternoon.

"I just tell them we have to keep working, keep fighting," Head Coach Doug Pederson said. "We have a lot of football ahead of us. It's not the time to start pointing fingers."

Running back Dare Ogunbowale's one-yard touchdown reception from quarterback C.J. Stroud gave the Texans the lead with :18 remaining. That capped a nine-play, 69-yard drive.

Lawrence afterward said he was “pretty frustrated.”

"A lot of missed opportunities," Lawrence said. "It's what's been happening the past few weeks. We weren't able to overcome it today. The guys fought hard. We gave it everything we had and had a chance at the end. Offensively, the last few possessions we didn't do enough."

The Jaguars' defense held the Texans scoreless on their first five second-half possessions.

"Credit to our defense in the second half," Lawrence said. "They came out, played really well and gave us the ball back a lot. We have to capitalize."

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

"Everyone's frustrated," running back Travis Etienne Jr. said. "It's getting repetitive. Talking about it won't help us. We just have to keep working. We just have to finish and be a little more mentally tough."

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 had trailed 34-3 at halftime of a 47-10 loss to Buffalo six days earlier.

"I thought we did some good things and we had some good opportunities," Lawrence said. "We had a good plan. We were prepared for a lot of stuff. We had a lot of opportunities. We didn't capitalize on all of them, unfortunately – and that's kind of why we're here now and didn't win the game. We didn't take advantage of some of those opportunities."

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 first-half field goals of 41 and 52 yards, with the second pulling the Jaguars to within one point – 14-13 – late in the second quarter.

"We're that close to flipping the switch, making real plays during the game," Pederson said. "We're not making them now and that's what's holding us back."

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

The Jaguars registered two sacks and no takeaways defensively Sunday, with defensive lineman Jeremiah Ledbetter registering a second-quarter sack and defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris registering one in the fourth quarter. They also had a special-teams takeaway early in the first quarter when safety Daniel Thomas recovered a muffed punt at the Texans 2-yard line to set up the game's first touchdown.

"We just have to keep playing," Lawrence said. "This is some adversity. It's been tough. We're not having the success we wanted and there are a lot of guys who put a lot of time, coaches and players and everyone who works for the team. It's frustrating and it's hard, but you have adversity and you have to get through it and get to the other side of it.

"It will help you in the long run. That's what we're preaching as a team."

Week 4 - Step by Step:

• Lawrence's two-yard touchdown pass to Brian Thomas Jr. gave the Jaguars a 7-0 lead with 12:44 remaining in the first quarter. Daniel Thomas recovered a muff by Texans punt returner Steven Sims at the Texans 2-yard-line on the previous play. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs' six-yard run capped the ensuing possession and tied the game 7-7 with 7:23 remaining in the first quarter. The Jaguars' defense at that point had allowed six consecutive touchdowns on first-half drives dating to the loss at Buffalo. Little's 41-yard field goal gave the Jaguars a 10-7 lead with 2:44 remaining in the first quarter.
• Stroud's three-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Nico Collins gave the Texans their first lead – 14-10 – with 7:19 remaining in the second quarter. Little's 52-yard field goal cut the lead to 14-13 with 3:49 remaining in the half. Texans kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn's 30-yard field goal with :03 remaining in the second quarter gave Houston a 17-13 halftime lead.
• Kirk's eight-yard touchdown reception from Lawrence gave the Jaguars a 20-17 lead with 6:16 remaining in the third quarter. A 32-yard reception by Thomas followed by Thomas' 13-yard run gave the Jaguars a first down at the Texans 14 to set up the touchdown.
• Lawrence's keeper from shotgun formation on 4^th-and-goal from the 1-yard line was stopped by defensive lineman Foley Fatukasi on the first play of the fourth quarter. Running back Tank Bigsby's 58-yard run had given the Jaguars 1^st-and-goal at the 4.

Notable Moments:

• Linebacker Devin Lloyd was among seven inactive players for the Jaguars Sunday. Lloyd missed the game with a knee injury, meaning third-year veteran Chad Muma and second-year veteran Ventrell Miller were the primary linebackers for the Jaguars Sunday.
• The Jaguars on Saturday placed starter Foye Oluokun – the team's leading tackler the past two seasons – on injured reserve with a foot injury.
• Also inactive for the Jaguars Sunday: Safety Darnell Savage (quadriceps), tight end Evan Engram (hamstring), rookie defensive end Myles Cole, rookie offensive lineman Javon Foster, offensive lineman Cole Van Lanen and rookie defensive tackle Jordan Jefferson. Wide receiver Gabe Davis (shoulder) and rookie cornerback Jarrian Jones (shoulder) played after being listed as questionable on Friday's final injury report of the week.

In-Game Injury Report:

• Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. sustained a shoulder injury in the first quarter and returned.
• Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen was evaluated for a concussion in the second half and did not return.