Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Rashean Mathis has been **ruled out** of Sunday's game against the Texans with a groin injury. Mathis has three interceptions this season but has been limited to eight games due to groin and finger injuries. He has not played since Nov. 15 against the New York Jets.
Per the Associated Press, Mathis started running, backpedaling, shuffling and moving laterally this week, but it wasn't enough to convince Jags head coach Jack Del Rio that he could play.
**“There's no sense in dragging that out,”** Del Rio said in AP writer Mark Long's report. "He's just not ready to go yet. We'll take another peek and hope for next week."
Mathis' injury means that third-year player Tryon Brackenridge will join rookie Derek Cox at starting cornerback against Andre Johnson and the Texans. Cox, a third-round draft pick out of William & Mary, has started every game this season. He has two interceptions and 50 tackles. Brackenridge started the Jaguars' previous two games in Mathis' absence, recording six tackles, a fumble recovery and three passes defensed.
