Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 QPR
Richard Dunne was sent-off as QPR's fading automatic promotion hopes all but vanished at Hillsborough.
Rangers were holding their own before the Irishman received a harsh red card for a foul on Leon Best, which gifted Chris Maguire the opener from the penalty spot.
Harry Redknapp's side were chasing shadows after that as second-half goals from Best and Lewis Buxton inflicted a heavy defeat to leave them 10 points off second-placed Burnley with the same number of games remaining.
Redknapp made four changes from the side that beat Yeovil at the weekend, with Brian Murphy, Gary O'Neil and Karl Henry replacing injured trio Rob Green, Jermaine Jenas and Karly Henry. Bobby Zamora was preferred to Will Keane in attack.
Clint Hill squandered a good chance for the visitors early on when he found himself unmarked in the box from a Joey Barton free-kick, but the QPR skipper was caught in two minds as his header failed to find the target or Zamora at the back stick.
However, the visitors were dealt a hammer blow just after the half-hour mark.
Dunne was dismissed for bringing down Best while clean through on goal, despite minimal contact, and Maguire stepped up to send Murphy the wrong way from the spot.
Wednesday looked to make their man advantage count and lay siege to the QPR goal for the rest of the half, with Maguire heading wide.
Rangers had Murphy to thank for keeping them in touching distance on 45 minutes when he kept out Atdhe Nuhiu's goal-bound header.
Redknapp responded by making a double change at the break, with Suk-Young Yun and Niko Kranjcar replacing Henry and Junior Hoilett.
However, things went from bad to worse for the visitors five minutes after the restart.
Former Hoop Oguchi Onyewu fed Best, who was allowed to wriggle free from Onuoha inside the box and fire past Murphy from six yards.
It was 3-0 on 71 minutes when Buxton chipped the ball over Kranjcar before unleashing a fierce volley across the penalty area into the bottom right-hand corner to round off a miserable night for the R's.
QPR: Murphy, Hughes, Onuoha, Dunne, Hill, Hoilett (Kranjcar 46), Barton, Henry (Yun), O'Neil (Carroll 82), Morrison, Zamora.
Subs (not used): Lennox, Keane, Benayoun, Maiga.
