The Jacksonville Jaguars lost an offensive battle in Week 1, falling to the Kansas City Chiefs 40-26. The Jaguars will be limping into Houston Week 2 without starting quarterback Nick Foles, who has officially been placed on the injury reserve. The Jaguars’ best-case scenario for Foles is a Week 11 return. The health of left tackle Cam Robinson is also still uncertain.
The Jaguars will be traveling west for their Week 2 match-up facing off against their in-division rival, the Houston Texans. The Texans are coming off of a Monday night photo-finish loss against the New Orleans Saints. While Houston may have fallen in the Superdome, they still remain one of the top teams in the AFC. Let’s take a look at their depth chart as we near Sunday’s kick-off.
Offensive Depth Chart
(Texans.com unofficial depth chart by PR staff)
The Jaguars’ defense will once again be facing off against one of the league’s best young quarterbacks and offenses.
From one young star quarterback to the next, Texans’ star signal-caller Deshaun Watson, much like Pat Mahomes, has lit the football world on fire since entering the league in 2017. He’s already become one of the best at his position and his ability to win with both his legs and arm make him even more dangerous.
At running back, Houston will be using two new acquisitions, Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson Jr. Both players have very different styles of play and should complement each other well in this offense. Look for Johnson to get a lot of carries, while also contributing as a receiver which is a specialty of his.
The Texans likely have the best receiver in the game, and both Jags fans and Jalen Ramsey know it. DeAndre Hopkins’ body control and incredible hands have made him the league’s most consistent and reliable pass-catchers. Will Fuller V poses a serious deep threat with his immense speed, and Kenny Stills should be a nice slot addition for Watson. Unlike Kansas City, the tight end position should be as much of a concern as the Texans lack a dominant down-field threat like Travis Kelce.
Houston’s offensive line is likely their biggest weakness on the team. They did just make a blockbuster deal with the Miami Dolphins for franchise tackle, Laremy Tunsil, but the rest of the line remains a liability. Tytus Howard is a player that the Texans are hoping develops into a stud blocker, but he is still making the transition from Alabama State to the NFL. The offensive line is the most significant area of concern for Houston and one Jacksonville should look to exploit as much as possible.
Defensive Depth Chart
(Texans.com unofficial depth chart by PR staff)
The Jaguars will again return to Houston to find defensive end J.J. Watt remaining with the team. Watt has been the Jaguars’ nemesis for almost a decade now as the former Defensive Player of the Year winner, returned to dominance last season. D.J. Reader remains a solid nose tackle for the Texans and Houston is excited about rookie defensive end Charles Omenihu, who may see some playing time.
At linebacker, the Texans have one of the best pass-rushing linebackers in the game, Whitney Mercilus. Jacksonville will have to be sure to keep him in check if they want to keep Minshew protected. Houston also has two solid inside linebackers in Zach Cunningham and Benardrick McKinney. They’ll give Leonard Fournette some trouble finding open holes to gash through.
The Texans have a solid secondary. The duo of Jonathan Joseph and Bradley Roby is a very respectable corner group. Additionally, the team just released former Jaguar, Aaron Colvin, so he won’t be a factor in this game. Starting safeties Tashaun Gipson and Justin Reid allow the Texans to be versatile in how they position their safeties. This is a young and talented group. The Jaguars receivers will have their hands full.
