The 5-3 Houston Texans are going international. On Sunday, against the 4-4 Jacksonville Jaguars, the franchise will be playing in London for the first time.
Despite playing overseas, the Texans are 1.5-point favorites. If they want to cover that and, subsequently, sweep Jacksonville for the season, they will need to accomplish these four “musts.”
Burn Sacksonville to the ground
Josh Allen, Calais Campbell, Yannick Ngakoeu, the list goes on. Jacksonville, dubbed “Sacksonville,” boasts a trio of high-end pass-rushers and interior defensive lineman that will command attention. It should come as no surprise to see the Jaguars fourth in the NFL in sacks (29).
The Texans — who have both left tackle Laremy Tunsil (shoulder) and right tackle Tytus Howard (knee) as game-time decisions — must find a way to contain Jacksonville’s pass-rush. It has given Deshaun Watson fits throughout his career, as he has never accomplished more than a 90.0 passer rating against them.
If Houston trots out a fully-healthy offensive line (that has allowed two sacks as a whole unit in three games) they may find a way to slow down their pass-rush. If they don’t, they still must find a way. Keep No. 4 upright and reap the benefits. It’s as simple as that.
If there is one caveat, however, it’s that the Jaguars no-longer have Jalen Ramsey — who helped the pass-rush immensely with his bump-and-run coverage.
Expose the top of Jacksonville’s secondary
Yes, Will Fuller is on the picture you scrolled down from. No, he will not be playing on Sunday. Yes, the Texans still have a way to scorch defenses with speed, his name is Kenny Stills.
On Sunday, the Texans should look into letting Stills use his burners early and often against Jacksonville. They need to attack the Jaguars’ secondary, which is now a shell from their terrifying 2017 self. It’s evident.
The Jaguars are getting beaten over top in 2019. On the year, they have allowed the sixth-most 40+ yard completions with 12. According to Sharp Football Stats, they are particularly susceptible to big-gains first downs; allowing a 70 passer rating to the deep left, 119 to the deep middle and 146 to the deep right on the year.
It’s in Houston’s best interest to let Stills and DeAndre Hopkins run. Not only could they expose a so-so secondary by doing so, but it would also help open areas in the short- and intermediate-range.
Limit Gardner Minshew’s chance to throw deep
How to win a football game (overseas or in the United States): Complete deep passes, stop the other team from completing deep passes. Who would have thought?
Rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew has shredded NFL defenses with his deep-ball throwing in 2019. Though not a particularly strong-armed passer, the Duval County folk hero throws with excellent anticipation down the field and has the noggin to process when to do so.
Minshew’s traits culminate in a passer who is eighth in the NFL in deep-ball completion rate (46.9%) and 12th in deep pass attempts (32), per Player Profiler. He will find a way to attempt to shred the Texans’ susceptible secondary. Houston must, someway, somehow, find a way to limit that.
Considering the Texans’ secondary is an injury-riddled unit, they will likely try to limit Minshew’s deep-ball throwing with their pass-rush. Unfortunately for Houston, J.J. Watt is out for the season. Expect Romeo Crennel to dial-up the blitz; a boom or bust proposition.
Kick jet lag to the curb by getting going early
Jet lag sucks. You feel bad in all the worst ways. You certainly don’t want to play a game of professional football with it. That won’t stop the Texans from suiting up on Sunday after flying eight hours to London on Thursday.
Some players may feel the direct effects of the overseas flight. There is no other way to put this: they need to toughen up, puke it off, do whatever it takes to get it out of their system or ultimately play through it. Why? The other team, the Jaguars, does the trip yearly, the Texans don’t.
Luckily, the Texans’ first-quarter efforts often emulate a team that is jet-lagged, even if they play at home. Perhaps they are used to it. Perhaps that means that kicking it to the curb becomes that much more important.
