The Jacksonville Jaguars are looking for redemption this weekend after getting embarrassed at home by the Kansas City Chiefs. Coming into Houston to face the Texans presents a similarly difficult challenge as the Jaguars are facing another high-powered offense.
That being said, if there was a team that the Jaguars could re-establish their “Sacksonville” moniker against it is the Houston Texans. It was only two seasons ago that the Jaguars tallied 10 sacks at NRG Stadium and their offensive line hasn’t got much better since.
Unfortunately, there are multiple starters absent from Sunday’s game due to injury, which makes things even more difficult, but also provides an opportunity for depth players to make a name for themselves.
If the Jaguars are to provide an upset today, some, if not all of these bold predictions will need to come true:
Josh Allen accumulates 2.5 sacks
If there is a team in which Josh Allen could kick-start his career of terrorizing quarterbacks against, the Texans might be atop the list. Oddly enough, the absence of Yannick Ngakoue may help Allen’s production in this game. As one of only two starting-calibre pass-rushers on Jacksonville’s defense, the seventh-overall pick will see some one-on-one opportunities against Texans’ tackle Seantrel Henderson, which may be a favorable matchup.
Having only played in 75 percent of the Jags’ snaps last week, expect Allen’s workload to spike dramatically this Sunday and his production to go up as a result.
Gardner Minshew will have 3 touchdown passes
Is Gardner Minshew II Jacksonville’s prodigal son? Week 1’s performance wasn’t a bad start was it? With veteran Nick Foles out until at least Week 11 following collar-bone surgery, Minshew will have plenty of opportunities to show his worth as an NFL quarterback.
The Texans’ secondary was gashed heavily by the Saints. In fact, it was such a bad display that former Jaguars’ slot-corner Aaron Colvin was released following the defeat.
Tailback Leonard Fournette is going to see the box stacked early, and Texans’ defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel is going to also dare Minshew to throw the ball. Obviously, there is nobody amongst the Jaguars’ receivers who compares to Michael Thomas, but if anyone is able to find similar success to Ted Ginn Jr. last week (who had seven catches for 101 yards), then Minshew could be in for another very good day.
DeAndre Hopkins won’t score a touchdown
The Jags will be without starting corner A.J. Bouye Week 2, which means Jalen Ramsey is going to have to try and shut down the opposition’s No. 1 receiver for the second consecutive week.
Hopkins vs. Ramsey has been a good matchup over time and it should continue to be that way as long as both continue to play for their current teams. The two exchanged praise for each other this week and stated that they can’t wait for matchup No. 7. It’s always fun to see the league’s best corner face off against the best wide receiver. In their last four meetings, Hopkins has only caught 56.25 percent of his targets vs. Ramsey. By comparison, his catch rate in 2018 was over 70 percent.
It’s unlikely that Hopkins will stay neutralized throughout the game, but Ramsey is more than capable of keeping him out of the end-zone. If he can, it would be huge for the Jags.
Leonard Fournette will have over 115 total yards
As mentioned earlier, the Texans are going to stack the box against Fournette in a big way this afternoon. But with Gardner Minshew operating a John DeFlippo offense, it would not be a surprise if the check-down is heavily utilized early Sunday afternoon.
Fournette will have a big role to play in settling down his first-year quarterback. That said, if he can find success early, expect the Jaguars to keep feeding him the ball.
In his one career game against the Texans, Fournette carried the ball for 100 yards and a touchdown. With the new offensive system and added receiving responsibilities, Fournette will look to best his previous outing against Houston.
