The Jacksonville Jaguars have one more important game before their Week 10 bye, and it will be a rare AFC South showdown across the pond against the Houston Texans, who’ve put together a good season.
To get our readers from both sides of the pond ready for the game, we sat down with Texans Wire managing editor Mark Lane to talk about the matchup. Here are six burning questions he answered about the state of the Texans:
Jaguars Wire: The Texans left a few notable players back in Houston due to injury. Could you talk about the spots in which they will be starting backups Sunday?
Mark Lane: Houston left behind safety Tashaun Gipson; cornerbacks Lonnie Johnson and Bradley Roby; receiver Will Fuller; and guard Greg Mancz. Really, the only backup left behind is Mancz. The rest are starter-quality. Jahleel Addae will fill in at safety for Gipson. Cornerback will be manned by Keion Crossen and Gareon Conley. Kenny Stills will replace Will Fuller in the lineup. In my opinion, DJ Chark and Dede Westbrook could be decent fantasy players Sunday.
JW: We know all about losing an All-Pro on this end with Jalen Ramsey getting traded. How much of an impact do you believe the loss of J.J. Watt will have on the Texans heading forward?
ML: A tremendous one because, unlike Ramsey, Watt was a positive force in the locker room. Now, you won’t have a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and face of the franchise setting the tone in the meetings or on the practice field. Production-wise, they might be able to get by as defensive tackle D.J. Reader is having a decent contract season and rookie defensive end Charles Omenihu is coming on, too.
Defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel will compensate. I think in a year where Houston didn’t have a superstar at quarterback, this would destroy them because they can’t even really replace Watt with a Jadeveon Clowney-like figure. Defensively, they’re probably just another unit. But as a team, more of the onus falls on [Deshaun] Watson, and he can handle it.
JW: With a 5-3 record to their names, are the Texans where you thought they would be midway through the season?
ML: Yes. They beat some cruddy teams such as the Falcons, had surprise wins against clubs like the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers, and dropped a home game they absolutely should not have, to the Carolina Panthers. They’re 5-3, the same as they were last season, which ended up in a playoff berth. I see the same wild-card trajectory for them.
JW: Last time we spoke, you guys were just getting Laremy Tunsil and Kenny Stills. How are they coming along now that they’ve got a chance to get more situated?
ML: Tunsil has solidified the blindside for Deshaun Watson and was a key part of the offense not giving up a single sack through two games (weeks 5-6), a feat not seen since the first two games of the Bill O’Brien era in 2014.
Stills has proven to be a capable backup that has filled in nicely for the Texans when receivers Will Fuller and Keke Coutee have been unavailable due to injuries. This may have been the trade that saved the Texans’ season.
JW: How do you feel about the Texans’ playoff chances midway through the season?
ML: Pretty good, actually. The Buffalo Bills are really the only other true wild-card in the AFC, aside from the three-way second-place bout going on with Tennessee and Jacksonville. If Houston can get the sweep of Jacksonville, it bodes well for them to finish 10-6, which is going to be good enough to punch a ticket for a wild-card spot. Pittsburgh is still awful, and so are the Browns. Houston has the tiebreaker over the Chargers and Oakland. The only challengers for the wild-card spots are going to be within the division.
JW: Do you think the traveling schedule will be an issue for the Texans, and what are your predictions for the game?
ML: I do. I think they messed it up by not leaving immediately for London. As someone who has covered an NFL International Series game in 2014, you really need a few days to get used to the Greenwich Mean Time. But if Jacksonville shoots themselves in the foot or tilts the field somehow in favor of Houston, it won’t matter that the Texans left 72 hours before kickoff.
Having said that, look for the Jaguars to win a close one against the Texans. Jaguars 27, Texans 19
