A devastating 23-18 loss at Jacksonville Sunday severely damaged the Texans' playoff hopes and will only intensify the speculation about head coach Gary Kubiak's future with the club.

The Texans were game in defeat, fighting back from a 17-0 deficit after QB Matt Schaub left in the first quarter with a dislocated left shoulder. But Schaub, in the gutsiest performance of his Texans career, returned midway through the second quarter, and Houston slowly started to claw back into the game.

Then, with the Texans trailing 23-12 with less than nine minutes left in the game, Kubiak made, or agreed to allow offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan to call, a halfback pass with Houston facing first and goal on the Jacksonville 5.

The play was a disaster. RB Chris Brown, who had never before attempted an NFL pass, was hit as he threw, and his pass wobbled into the hands of Jaguars S Gerald Alexander, ending the scoring threat.The Texans would score a touchdown less than five minutes later to cut the Jags' lead to 23-18 with 4:07 left, but they would not get the ball back, as Jacksonville, behind the running of Maurice Jones-Drew, ran out the clock.

Afterwards, Kubiak took the blame for Brown's errant throw and the questionable playcall.

"We had what we wanted, but it didn't work out," Kubiak said. "That's a tough spot to put Chris in, so it just ends up being a bad call by me— just a poor call."

Asked if offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan made the call, Kubiak again took responsibility for the mistake.

"There's nothing that goes in the game that I'm not part of, or okaying," Kubiak said. "We work together calling the games, and I shouldn't have put him in that position. That's my job as a head coach."

The PFW spin

Kubiak is popular with his players because he will take the blame when things go wrong, and while his sense of accountability is to be respected, it is hard to understand why he would put the ball in a running back's hands instead of Schaub's in that key situation on that part of the field. It was a major mistake. 

Now, of course, the talk to turns to how this affects Kubiak's job security. And, obviously, should owner Bob McNair fire him at season's end, the halfback pass will be part of every recap of Kubiak's tenure. However, while the play is perhaps symbolic of the Texans' problems winning tight games, it should not symbolize Kubiak's work with the Texans' offense, which is not without its flaws. For one, the running game has sputtered all season. Also, TE Owen Daniels, such a key part of the offense, has been out since Nov. 1, and that's hurt the passing game.

Still, the Texans rank ninth in yards gained and 14th in points scored through 12 games. That is a testament to Kubiak. The Texans' offense is well-designed, its players well-coached.

The hiccup Sunday, however, was horrible.

No matter whom the coach is next season, the Texans have some weaknesses to address in the offseason. The franchise has stubbornly refused to invest much money in the RB position throughout Kubiak and GM Rick Smith's time with the club, and that cost them dearly this season when Steve Slaton had fumbling problems early in the season and later suffered a neck injury that kept him out of Sunday's game at Jacksonville. Brown, who is solid in pass protection, is not particularly fast nor powerful. Clearly one or more tailbacks need to be added in the offseason. Also, the offensive line could use some reinforcements along the interior.

It can be argued Kubiak deserves another another offseason to help identify the players the offense needs and another season to guide the offense. On balance, his work with that side of the ball has been very good. But with the Texans looking likely to miss the postseason yet again, you have to wonder if he's going to get a fifth season on the job. It is a tough decision for McNair. We do know this much: Kubiak didn't help himself Sunday.