Jacksonville @ Houston preview
NRG Stadium
Last Meeting ( Nov 26, 2023 ) Jacksonville 24, Houston 21
The Jacksonville Jaguars are one of three winless teams in the NFL and certainly the one in the most disarray.
The Jaguars (0-3) will attempt to halt their dysfunction and register that elusive first victory when they visit the Houston Texans in an AFC South battle on Sunday.
Jacksonville's poor start includes being annihilated 47-10 by the host Buffalo Bills on the Monday night stage. The Jaguars trailed 34-3 at halftime after Buffalo scored touchdowns on all five first-half possessions.
"The game the other night was just a disaster on every level," Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence said Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Jaguars coach Doug Pederson is telling his team they can still turn things around.
"It's not the end of anybody's season, obviously it's Week 4," Pederson said. "We just got to figure out a way to play good football, and right now, the tape shows that we're not and we've got to fix that."
A win over the Texans (2-1) would be a step in the right direction. It would take some heat off Pederson and the underachieving Lawrence.
Jacksonville has lost the last eight times Lawrence has been the starting quarterback. The No. 1 overall draft pick in 2021 has completed just 52.8 percent of his passes this year while getting sacked 11 times.
"I've got to play really well for us to win," Lawrence said. "That's the NFL. The quarterback has to play well every week in order to give us a shot to win. I don't feel like I've done that consistently enough. So I put that on myself."
Lawrence has passed for 560 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for an offense that ranks 30th in scoring (13.3 points per game) and 27th in total yardage (276.3).
In the offseason, Jacksonville rewarded Lawrence with a five-year, $275 million extension that paid him like an elite quarterback. But in the wake of the Buffalo debacle, Pederson said pulling Lawrence in favor of backup Mac Jones is an option if things don't improve.
The Texans don't have a quarterback problem as second-year pro C.J. Stroud has stood out from the outset of his pro career.
Stroud led Houston to a 10-7 record as a rookie and guided the squad to a playoff victory. This season, he has completed 67.7 percent of his throws for 709 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions.
However, Stroud and the Texans were whipped 34-7 by the host Minnesota Vikings last weekend. Stroud passed for 215 yards and a touchdown but also was intercepted twice and sacked four times. Houston also was flagged for 11 penalties.
"They kicked our butts, kudos to those guys," Stroud said Wednesday. "It is Week 4 now. We are going to move on. We are going to play against the Jaguars, who are a good team and focus on that."
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans views the Jaguars as a fierce foe. Though Houston has won 10 of the past 12 meetings between the teams, Jacksonville earned a split last season.
"We will have a division opponent coming into our house," Ryans said. "It's going to be a tough matchup. We both know each other very well and it's going to be a fight, so we're looking forward to the matchup."
Running back Joe Mixon totaled 184 rushing yards over his first two games with the Texans but sat out the Minnesota game with an ankle injury. He was limited in Friday's practice and is likely to be a game-time decision.
Texans receiver Tank Dell (chest), running back Dameon Pierce (hamstring) and safety Jimmie Ward (groin) were all ruled out on Friday.
Jaguars standout linebacker Foyesade Oluokun (foot) was placed on injured reserve Saturday and will miss at least four games. Tight end Evan Engram (hamstring) and safety Darnell Savage (quadricep) will each miss their third straight game.
--Field Level Media