The Jacksonville Jaguars will be taking the field for the last time this regular season against the Houston Texans and the matchup will be a must-win being that it is a division battle that could slot the Jags with a playoff spot heading into their bye week. In their last meeting against Houston this season, the Jags’ offense wasn’t able to get much going until late in the game, which ultimately caused them to lose it. That said, John DeFilippo’s unit will definitely be looking to step it up Sunday and make up for their struggles early in the season.
Here are four offensive battles that will be important if the Jags are to win Sunday over in the United Kingdom:
WRs Dede Westbrook and DJ Chark vs. Keion Crossen and Gareon Conley
The Texans secondary will be down a few starters Sunday and that could set Gardner Minshew II up for a solid day, especially on the outside. With cornerbacks Lonnie Johnson and Bradley Roby out, the Texans starting spots will be manned by Keion Crossen and Gareon Conley, who took the field last week against the Oakland Raiders. They were a part of a secondary in which gave up nearly 300 yards to quarterback Derek Carr and the game was one that went down to the wire with a 27-24 score.
Minshew will be coming off a solid performance of his own, going 22-of-34 for 279 passing yards and three touchdowns against the New York Jets. That said, expect his top receivers Dede Westbrook (if available) and DJ Chark to have strong days, especially vertically as they are one of the fastest duos in football.
OT Cam Robinson vs. OLB Whitney Mercilus
With J.J. Watt out for the season, Whitney Mercilus is the player who most would say is the Texans’ top pass rusher. Coach Doug Marrone even singled him out for his sound play this week, so it’s a given the Jags will be keying in on him. He’ll come into Sunday’s game with 5.5 sacks, which is the most on the team.
Mercilus will see some snaps against Jaguars left tackle Cam Robinson Sunday, who has been holding his own for the most part. He’s especially been good as a run blocker, which is where the Jags will need him to flourish against Mercilus and the Texans’ defense who are a top-10 unit against the rush.
QB Gardner Minshew II and TE Josh Oliver vs. safeties Jahleel Addae and Justin Reid
In my Q&A with Texans Wire, I predicted that Josh Oliver will breakout Sunday as he’s still trying to get acclimated after spending most of the season recovering from a hamstring injury. He caught his first pass of the year last Sunday and it was a yard shy of a touchdown. However, this week I wouldn’t be shocked if he’s more involved in the game plan as offensive coordinator John DeFilippo loves to utilize the tight end position.
Early in the season, veteran James O’Shaughnessy was a favorite target of Minshew, racking up 14 receptions for 153 yards and two touchdowns before being placed on injured reserve Week 5 after tearing his ACL. However, Oliver was a favorite target of Minshew in training camp and it’s now time for the rookies to re-establish that connection.
RB Leonard Fournette vs. LB Zach Cunningham
Zach Cunningham is the Texans’ most active tackler and Leonard Fournette is the AFC’s top rusher, so it appears they will see a lot of each other Sunday. In Week 2’s meeting between the two teams, Fournette was held to under 50 yards, which was the biggest factor in the Texans’ victory.
Cunningham won’t only be tasked with stopping Fournette between the tackles, but he could see coverage snaps against him. Fournette’s ability as a pass-catcher has long been underrated and the Jags’ staff have done a better job setting him up as a receiver as he currently has 263 receiving yards. He’s also had six or more receptions in two of the Jags’ last three games and I wouldn’t be shocked to see that trend continue Sunday with the Texans being ranked 28th against the pass.
