Jaguars vs Texans: Game Preview

Game: Jaguars vs Texans

Location: EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville, FL

Time: 1pm ET

Forecast: 86 degrees, Partly Cloudy, Winds 10 to 20mph

Injury Updates

Jaguars: The Jags could be without starting LG Ezra Cleveland on Sunday after two straight DNPs with and ankle injury. Rookie G Wyatt Milum could get the nod if he's finally cleared to go if Cleveland isn't but he started the week with two straight LP's (limited participation) Wednesday and Thursday. CB Jarrian Jones was listed with two straight LP's but should be good to go. The good news is if he can't go the Jaguars are expected to have CB Montaric "Buster" Brown back in action this week. He's been full go in practice so far this week. Backup TE Hunter Long is questionable with a DNP Wednesday then an LP on Wednesday. Tuten has been non-contact with a shoulder injury this week as a precaution but should be good to roll.

Texans: The Texans have a longer injury report this week with some big names but word is most of the guys on it are trending towards playing. The only guy on it who won't suit up for sure is CB Jaylin Smith. Ex Jaguar WR Christian Kirk is trending towards making his return to Jacksonville this week after dealing with a hamstring issue. C Jake Andrews, WR Braxton Berrios, CB Kamari Lassiter, S Jalen Pitre, and DE Darrell Taylor were all listed as LP on Thursday but word from the Texans camp is most if not all of those guys should be ready to go on Sunday. We'll see if that holds up when Friday's report is open to the public.

Both teams are still relatively healthy this week outside of a few guys with nagging issues. The one thing to pay attention to is Jacksonville's situation at LG. If Cleveland and Milum both aren't able to go on Sunday then you're looking at either backup tackle Cole Van Lanen or backup G Chuma Edoga getting the start on a Jaguars O-line that would suddenly be missing a lot of depth. The Jaguars preached cross training for all of its lineman so it wouldn't shock me if Van Lanen gets the nod in that scenario even though he's listed at tackle. Getting Buster Brown back is huge for a Jaguars team that will face a solid group of Texans WRs.

Jaguar's Breakdown

Obviously the two big advantages the Jaguars should have on Sunday are the the run game on offense and the pass rush on defense. The Jaguars are a top 5 rushing offense through 2 weeks and the Texans are coming off getting carved up by the Bucs allowing 170yds on 30 carries and a TD on the ground. The Jaguars should pound the rock early and often to set up the play action and help Lawrence out against a stingy Texans secondary. It's no secret that Lawrence hasn't exactly lit up the Texans. Anything Coen can do to keep the pressure off of his shoulders against this Texans team would go a long win in getting a W. I'd really like to see Lawrence take off a few times this game as well. I know that's a crazy thing to say after what happened in this game last year but Mayfield was able to torch the Texans on a couple scrambles last week. He only had 3 carries but he was able to pick up 33 crucial yards. That could be the difference between a win and a loss this week.

The pass rush should be set up for another favorable matchup this week. The Texans haven't been great in pass protection so far and CJ Stroud likes to hold the ball an extra beat in the same way Joe Burrow does. Watching the Texans game they struggled to pick up exotic blitzes so look for DC Campanile to dial plenty of those up to confuse the Texans O-line and speed Stroud up. I also want to see a lot more of the Walker/Armstead stunt this week. Watching the Texans O-line they really struggle when things get complicated similar to the Bengals O-line.

Much like the Bengals game last week Coen and company will have a great opportunity to use the run game to build a lead and lean on the pass rush to hold on to it. It's not often the Jaguars come into this matchup with two big advantages so they'll need to take the opportunity to pick up a huge early season win.

Texan's Breakdown

The Texan's are in an 0-2 hole to start the year but have two close loses to two NFC playoff teams from last year that both look like they'll be back. While Houston's run defense has been bad to start the year, what they do have is two very good pass rushers much like the Jaguars. Hunter and Anderson Jr can get to the QB just as well as any other duo in the league. Both will be looking at tape all week of how Trey Hendrickson single handedly killed Jaguar drives last Sunday. The Texans will be looking to shut down the run game early and try and put the entirety of the game on Lawrence's shoulders. The Jaguars tackles have graded well so far but the Texans will like their chances if they can get a ton of 1 on 1 matchups on the edge.

On offense the Texans will simply have to run the ball better if they want to pick up a win this week. The Jaguars have 6 takeaways two weeks in to the season. This is not going to be the same old easy pass defense Stroud is used to playing against when he plays the Jaguars. The Texans will have to open up windows in the pass game by establishing the run. If the Jaguars LBs can cheat into coverage it'll be a long day for Stroud and the Texans offense. The good news for the Texans is Nick Chubb was able to break through for a couple big runs last week.

The keys for a Texans win sound simple but will be tough to pull off against a much improved Jaguars team. They'll look to make the Jaguars a passing team and force Lawrence to avoid the big mistake to beat them. On offense they'll try to uncomplicate this new Jaguars defense with a good run game and quick passes to neutralize the pass rush.

Game Prediction

Final Score: Jaguars 21 Texans 17

I still have the Jaguars winning this game but I've knocked the score down a bit for each team. I know the Jaguars struggle in this matchup in the past but I really do believe this team is much different than the one we usually see in Duvall. They just have such a clear path to winning this week and the Texans really don't. If the Jaguars stick to the run and have the same success they've had the past two weeks they can really control this game. I also think this new defensive scheme is a bad matchup for CJ Stroud with how he's played this season. He's carved the Jaguars up with wide open crossers against man coverage in the past and this Jaguars team, much like the Rams and Bucs, just don't leave you a lot of those looks or time to complete them if they do pop open. This is the Jaguars chance to make a statement while burying a division rival this week and I think they get it done.

Cool Thing That Will Happen This Week

Off to an 0-2 start in this column but as they say "shooters shoot" so we'll keep firing off these horrible predictions. After two week of horrific football by Brian Thomas Jr I really want to buy the hype on a monster bounce back week, but I'll resist temptation and go a different route. Picking Travis Hunter TD back to back weeks seems like a lame take and almost like cheating so we'll pass on that too. Instead I'll take Travis Hunter's first INT on a deep ball by Stroud. Hunter should see a lot of defensive reps this week and I have to believe that it's only a matter of time before one of colleges biggest game changers makes one of those plays in the NFL. Some NFL OC will try their luck on a deep ball against Hunter at some point and I think the Texans try it out this week before learning how bad of an Idea it is.

We're 2-0 so far in game predictions so let's try and make it 3 straight this Sunday. You stay classy Jaguar fans!