Although 59 minutes or so of action against the Jacksonville Jaguars were anything but pretty, it appeared that with its last breath, the Texans might, MIGHT find a way to salvage overtime with a late charge down the field in week three in Duval County.
With :27 remaining, QB C.J. Stroud dropped to throw and, as he did, he located former Jaguar/current Texan WR Christian Kirk breaking into the open in the end zone. Down by seven, a Stroud to Kirk TD and subsequent extra point would tie the game and, presumably, send it to overtime.
Jaguars star DE Josh Hines-Allen reached out his long arm/hand and tipped the ball as it left Stroud's hand. As it spun through the air, I just hoped it would eventually hit the ground.
It didn't. Game over.
Now, it's time to meet again, but this time it's much different. Stroud will not play, missing the game due to a concussion suffered against the Broncos. K Kai'mi Fairbairn will be out. Jaguars star rookie WR Travis Hunter is also out.
That said, a sixth win for Jacksonville will give the Jags a season sweep over the Texans for the first time since 2017 and move Jacksonville into prime position to catch the Colts. But, a fourth win for the Texans in the 2025 season will give them life as the campaign heads into the second half of the season.
It's a "circle the wagons" game for your Texans, no question about it, and they must go win this game with QB Davis Mills in charge, who is 2-1 in starts against the Jaguars in his career. With all of that as the backdrop for this matchup, let's get to Know the Texans' Week 10 Foe - the Jacksonville Jaguars, yet again
Jacksonville Jaguars 2025 Schedule (5-3)
- Week 1 - W Carolina Panthers 26-10
- Week 2 - L @ Cincinnati Bengals 31-27
- Week 3 - W Houston Texans 17-10
- Week 4 - W @ San Francisco 49ers 26-21
- Week 5 - W Kansas City Chiefs 31-28
- Week 6 - L Seattle Seahawks 20-12
- Week 7 - L Los Angeles Rams (London) 35-7
- Week 8 - BYE WEEK
- Week 9 - W @ Las Vegas Raiders 30-29
- Week 10 - @ Houston Texans
- Week 11 - Los Angeles Chargers
- Week 12 - @ Arizona Cardinals
- Week 13 - @ Tennessee Titans
- Week 14 - Indianapolis Colts
- Week 15 - New York Jets
- Week 16 - @ Denver Broncos
- Week 17 - @ Indianapolis Colts
- Week 18 - Tennessee Titans
Jaguars OFFENSE (in 2025 regular season)
- Rushing Yards Per game - 123.6 ypg (11th in the NFL)
- Passing Yards Per game - 215.3 ypg (16th)
- Total offense per game - 338.9 ypg (14th)
- Turnovers lost - 7 (6 INT, 1 Fumble)
Expected Jaguars starting offense for Week 10
- QB - Trevor Lawrence
- RB - Travis Etienne
- WR - Brian Thomas Jr.
- WR - DYAMI BROWN
- WR - JAKOBI MEYERS
- TE - Johnny Mundt or HUNTER LONG
- LT - Walker Little
- LG - Ezra Cleveland (injured) or Cole Van Lanen
- C - ROBERT HAINSEY
- RG - PARICK MEKARI
- RT - Anton Harrison
Other Key Offensive pieces
- RB - BHAYSHUL TUTEN
- WR - Parker Washington
- WR - TIM PATRICK
- RB - LEQUINT ALLEN
- OC - JONAH MONHEIM
Italics - Rookie
ALL CAPS - New to team in 2025
Keys to winning v. the Jaguars Offense
- The Offensive Engine - I said back in week three that the Jaguars running backs have been a clear arrow up for this offense in 2025. I mentioned "running backs", plural, because rookie Bhayshul Tuten had flashed his insane speed in the two weeks leading into the first matchup with the Texans. But, if I'm being honest, the driver, the heart, the EVERYTHING for this offense is RB Travis Etienne. When Etienne thrives, the Jaguars offense goes to a different level. 143 rush yards v. Carolina? Win. 124 rush yards v. San Francisco? Win. 115 yards total offense at Las Vegas last week? Win. The Rams and Seahawks held him to a combined 71 yards rushing? Loss and loss. It's really easy to say, and difficult to do, especially considering how banged up the Texans are at this point, but stop Etienne, win the game.
- Newbies - The Jaguars have been a bit banged up the past month or so and the one position that seems more snake bit than any other is wide receiver. Just last week, rookie two-way star Travis Hunter, who had just seemingly moved to offense full-time, injured his knee in practice and was put on IR. In the game against the Raiders, the Jaguars lost Brian Thomas Jr. and Dyami Brown. Both of them were DNP and/or limited early in the practice week. So, the Jaguars went out and traded for Jakobi Meyers just a few days after playing against him in Las Vegas. But, what will the receiving corps look like for Trevor Lawrence on Sunday? He'll have Parker Washington and he's gotten better week after week, but on the outside, will it be Thomas Jr.? Will Brown be ready to go? How much of the offense will Meyers know?
- What's up, Trevor? - In the first meeting, following a Texans missed field goal, Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence threw passes like a quarterback dead set on becoming one of the best in the NFL. He finished that drive four of six for 43 yards on a 58 yard drive. I remember saying during a break to Marc and Andre that it was our worst nightmare…Trevor becoming THAT guy right under our nose. But, after that drive, Lawrence struggled, yet made the one throw that he had to make in the fourth quarter. So, seven weeks later, what more do we know about Trevor Lawrence? The Jaguars' second drive of the game against Las Vegas went 17 plays…and ended with a Lawrence INT in the end zone. Then, in the second half, he lost all his receivers, seemingly, and led the Jags to five straight scoring drives, including one in overtime. He helped the Jaguars offense generate 17 first downs in the second half and overtime. The Raiders defense isn't the Texans defense, so Lawrence will carry all the pressure against that rock star Texans defense.
Jaguars DEFENSE (in 2025 regular season)
- Rushing Yards Allowed Per game - 86.9 ypg (3rd in the NFL)
- Passing Yards Allowed Per game - 249.3 ypg (27th)
- Total offense Allowed per game - 336.1 ypg (22nd)
- Turnovers generated - 15 (11 INT, 4 Fumble recoveries, Jaguars are +8 in TO margin)
Expected Jaguars starting defense for Week 10
- DE - Josh Hines-Allen
- DT - Arik Armstead
- DT - DaVon Hamilton
- DE - Travon Walker
- WLB - Devin Lloyd or Ventrell Miller
- MLB - Foye Oluokun
- CB - GREG NEWSOME II
- S - Antonio Johnson
- S - Andrew Wingard
- CB - Jarrian Jones or Montaric Brown
- Nickel - JOURDAN LEWIS
Other Key Defensive pieces
- DT - Maason Smith
- OLB - DENNIS GARDECK
- DT - Ventrell Miller
- DE/LB - Yasir Abdullah
- S - Antonio Johnson
Italics - Rookie
ALL CAPS - New to team in 2025
Keys to winning v. the Jaguars Defense
- We meet again…again - On the Texans' last offensive play of the first game, Jaguars star edger rusher Josh Hines-Allen made one of the defining plays of his career. He seemed to be well past QB C.J. Stroud as the Texans QB looked to hit Christian Kirk for a game tying TD in the end zone. But, the Pro Bowler reached back and hit the ball out of Stroud's hand. The ball fluttered in the air and into the waiting arms of S Antonio Johnson near the goal line. The game should've never gotten to that point, but it did and Hines-Allen made the ONE play that no one else on that defense could make. Now, he gets to face rookie OT Aireontae Ersery for a second time. Or, maybe he goes on the other side of the field to face, potentially, NOT Tytus Howard, who is in concussion protocol. Either way, there's one Jaguar defensive player that can TRULY wreck the game and that's Hines-Allen. The Texans OTs will need some help on him, no matter how much Ersery has improved lately or who lines up at right tackle.
- Ye' Olde Pastry Shoppe - Plus. Eight. That's an astronomical number for turnover margin heading into week ten, but that's how the Jaguars defense has thrived this season. +2 against the Texans? Win. Four interceptions of 49ers QB Brock Purdy? Win. This is the way that the Texans won games in 2023 and 2024 for sure and Jacksonville has used that philosophy in 2025 leading to a 5-3 record. And, think back to the Texans loss to Jacksonville in week three. Fourth quarter, finally moving the football. Five fourth quarter Texans drives, three of them ended with an interception or a fumble. End those drives with field goals and the Texans aren't sitting here at 3-5, nor are the Jaguars 5-3. So, BALL SECURITY is at a premium this week.
- Lloyd of Duval - Jaguars LB Devin Lloyd, a former first round selection, had been sensational in the first six games of the season, but in the loss to Seattle, he was injured and hasn't played since. The Jaguars went to London and gave up 35 without him on the field. Then, the Raiders put up 29 and should've had 31 without Lloyd on the field. But, in the six games that he was on the field prior to his injury, the Jaguars gave up just 20 points a game. In the win over Kansas City, he even accounted for seven of the Jaguars 31 points with a pick six for the ages. Against the Texans, he ran to the ball unabated throughout the game. He recovered a fumble late in the fourth quarter. He was a general menace and it appears that he'll be back on Sunday. He was playing at an All-Pro level before his injury, so if he's back, he's going to be a problem for the Texans' OL/TE/FB in this matchup, one in which the Texans must block him effectively to have any chance to move the ball and win the game.
