It was a defeat that felt like a reality check of sorts.
It all came down to 30 minutes of action in the first half where Bristol City looked like a shell of the side we have been accustomed to seeing this season.
There were flickers of last season's traits, not in the way the Robins defended, but how the confidence seemed to be drained from the players after the opening goal went in. Andi Weimann was at fault for giving the ball away but he has plenty of credit in the bank.
Two goals conceded in three minutes put the game beyond doubt but the hosts capitulated defensively. Mistakes came by the dozen, balls over the top exposed the lack of pace at the back and City could have easily been four down when the half-time whistle blew.
It's a game of slim, fine margins and you look back at Tommy Conway's opportunity when he decided to shoot instead of square to Nahki Wells as a key moment in the contest. That goes in and City head into the second half with their tails up.
But they gave themselves too much to do, as has been the continued trend this campaign even with Nahki Wells' best attempts to conjure a point. It would have been undeserved and there was no doubt QPR were the better team.
They'll be little time to dwell on the loss with a home game against Coventry on Tuesday evening and here's the verdict following a bad day at the office.
A midfield dilemma
It was pretty clear City missed Matty James in the middle and a defeat that provides further indication of his importance in the side. They needed his experience and quality on the ball but with the news he will be absent for a week following a minor groin operation, that will mean he will miss the visit of Coventry.
Alex Scott will also be forced to sit out of action through suspension after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season in 11 league matches - he's the joint worst offender in the Championship alongside Middlesbrough's Isaiah Jones.
Then we come to Joe Williams who didn't have his finest afternoon against QPR. His passing was wayward and he struggled to deal with numbers in the middle with the visitors playing with that extra body.
He looked understandably hugely frustrated when he came off the field in the 73rd minute but Pearson will need to make a decision on his fitness on Tuesday. Up until now, he has been reluctant to start him in both Saturday and Tuesday matches with concerns over his record with hamstring injuries.
If that remains the case during the week, then City's options become very limited. Han-Noah Massengo will surely make his first start since the 3-3 draw with Blackpool at the end of August leaving another spot up for grabs.
Andy King has yet to make a start in the Championship this season but he appears to be the obvious stand-in candidate. The duo featured regularly together as a pairing in pre-season and his defensive attributes in front of the back line allows Massengo to drift into a more advanced position.
Mark Sykes, who has continued to feature at right wing-back, could potentially also make an appearance in the middle. The question was put to Pearson in his post-match interview but the City manager strongly hinted he wouldn't burden him with the responsibility of playing him in another unfamiliar role.
He said: "I think for somebody like Mark Sykes who is making a step up, I don't want to pile too much responsibility on him. I think he's done pretty well so far this season in a role that he's adapted to very quickly.
"You'll have to wait and see the selection for Tuesday but it might need freshening up a bit."
Dylan Kadji is also an option after he made his professional debut in the cup victory over Wycombe earlier in the season but will likely start on the bench if he makes it into the matchday squad.
Sykes, Wilson or Tanner
The issue with playing a player in an unfamiliar role is that there is always the danger they will be exposed positionally. That was the case with Sykes yesterday who endured a really difficult afternoon against a lively QPR attack.
While City's attack continue to take the plaudits, it was the visitors' front three that came out on top with Ilias Chair, Tyler Roberts and Chris Willock exploiting the space down the flanks. In fairness to Sykes, he has been a really smart acquisition and deservedly retained his place in the side but he'll need to improve on yesterday.
What is concerning is that managers will continually look to target that space in behind with the wing-backs pushing so far forward. There has to be a balance because my sympathies went out to Zak Vyner yesterday.
He had to cover an awful lot of grass when Chair in particular had the freedom to push forward. He also wasn't helped by Kal Naismith's lack of composure in possession having bailed out his team-mate when QPR almost took advantage of a sloppy pass.
The second goal was a prime example of QPR taking advantage of the weakness down the right. It was a simple long ball over the top of Sykes who was on the wrong side of his man.
Then he got caught on the overlap and the next thing you know the ball is in the back of the net. It was arguably his poorest performance so far and as mentioned above, Pearson admitted he may freshen it up for Tuesday.
That could mean Sykes may come out of the side which leaves the debate as to who comes in. Kane Wilson is the obvious shout but his lack of match fitness remains a concern.
He was only on the pitch for 17 minutes towards the end but he did appear to be huffing and puffing in the final five minutes. Of course, this is speculation but perhaps that is one of the reasons why Wilson hasn't featured as much as he would have liked.
He got into some good positions but there were no moments of quality to suggest he deserves his start on Tuesday so don't be surprised to see George Tanner come into the frame.
The defensive high line
So what's the solution to the defence? Well, with Tomas Kalas and Timm Klose not fit - there's nothing the manager can do in regards to switching the personnel for now.
In that case, he'll need to find a solution because there's little chance of City progressing if they continue to defend like they did yesterday. Defensive errors were all too frequent and again the spotlight will be on Kal Naismith for his performance, particularly in the first half.
In the early proceedings of the game, he pulled off a Cruyff turn when Tyler Roberts charged at him when he had the ball at his feet. It earned a cheer from the home faithful while a few would have had a sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, it quickly went downhill from there. Naismith won't shy away from it. His first-half performance was really difficult viewing at times.
Poor in possession, he frequently gave the ball away and QPR manager Michael Beale had done his homework. Every time he got the ball, he was closed down in an instant and it ultimately led to too many unforced errors.
Naismith's delivery remains his saving grace but at the moment, the mistakes are threatening to outweigh the good aspects of his game. Another concern was the fact that his confidence seemed to drop after making his first error.
There was a nervousness around the stadium when he had possession and QPR could sense it and ultimately exploit it. Although it probably didn't help by the fact that City seemed to play a really high line in that first half.
I'd lost count of the number of long balls over the top of the defence during the opening 45 minutes. On countless occasions, both Naismith and Rob Atkinson were found running towards their own goal which also highlighted their lack of pace up against the attackers.
It was an obvious game plan by Beale and it was a tactic that wasn't addressed by Pearson but the matter of fact is, City's back three don't have the pace to be dealing so high up the pitch. It allows so much space for the attackers to run in behind.
The second half was an improvement and Naismith looked a lot more assured although that's also because QPR could afford to sit back in an attempt to defend their two-goal advantage. Until Kalas or Klose are fit, Pearson has no choice but to continue sticking with the trio.
It doesn't appear as though Kalas will be back anytime soon and it will be a surprise if he's on the field before the World Cup break while Pearson admitted Klose is nearing a return in the coming weeks.
Coventry have only scored eight in their eight games this season, the joint second-worse record in the Championship alongside Cardiff and ahead of Preston. City have the second worst defensive record and therefore Tuesday's game becomes an intriguing contest.
Antoine Semenyo and the subs
For the first 15 minutes of the second half, Antoine Semenyo's introduction immediately gave City a fresh impetus in attack. He ran at the backline, forced them back and also made a nuisance of himself in the box that allowed Nahki Wells to continue his fine form in front of goal.
The striker has yet to start this season but judging by his impact, there will be no surprise to see him in the starting XI against Coventry on Tuesday. Pearson made the right call by sticking with Wells and Tommy Conway from the off following their prolific partnership over the course of this campaign.
The latter was taken off at half-time having struggled to make an impact in the game. The one opportunity he did have, the youngster opted to go for goal instead of playing a simple pass across the box to give Wells a tap-in.
There's every possibility he was slightly jaded having started both of Scotland's Under-21 matches during the international break and perhaps a rest is in order against Coventry meaning Semenyo will likely have his opportunity to stake his claim. Conway's pace off the bench remains another string to City's bow going forward.
Talking of substitutions, the decision to bring Chris Martin on five minutes after Wells clawed City back into the game is questionable. It's easy to write that in hindsight and bringing another forward player on the field makes sense as the hosts looked to pile on the pressure.
However, the change of shape disrupted City's flow. Martin really struggled to get himself into the contest with Semenyo pushed out towards the right and Wells over to the left.
The play went more direct with Vyner playing regular lofted high balls into the box that were easy catching practice for Seny Dieng in the QPR goal. City did get into some good positions towards the end of the game, especially out wide, but QPR looked largely comfortable in seeing the game out for the final 20 minutes.
SIGN UP: For our daily Robins newsletter, bringing you the latest from Ashton Gate
