Jaguars vs. Texans: Jacksonville Looking To End Home Woes vs. Houston

The Jacksonville Jaguars have already had an up-and-down season just two weeks into the year. After a troubling come-from-behind victory against Indianapolis, the Jaguars headed home to face off against the reigning Super Bowl Champs, Kansas City Chiefs.

Fans would leave disappointed, however, as the Jaguars failed to get anything going offensively, mustering just 9 points. This week, the Jaguars welcome the Houston Texans to Jacksonville, a team, while 0-2, have given their fans a lot to be hopeful going forward. Houston is a team that has found much success in Jacksonville, winning each of the last five contests and eight of the last nine.

Despite their record, Quarterback CJ Stroud has shown a lot of promise as the rookie passer has thrown for 626 yards two touchdowns, zero interceptions, and completed 64% of his passes.

While the Jaguars’ offense has no doubt struggled, the defense has shown up and shown out. Not many teams can hold a Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs team to just 17 points, but Jacksonville did just that.

The defense may need another standout performance if the offense still seems to be knocking off the offseason rust in week three. It’s the Jaguars’ secondary that has been particularly redoubtable. In just two games, the secondary has already nabbed two interceptions and amassed nine passes defenses.

With Houston starting a rookie quarterback, look for Andre Cisco and company to be on the lookout for opportunities for more turnovers. The third-year safety is looking to have a breakout 2023 season. Cisco is allowing an NFL passer rating of just 26.2 so far this season.

Offensively, the Jaguars have to get their feet under them. The team’s league-worst 3rd-down conversion rate is concerning. The team’s Red Zone performance hasn’t been much better as Lawrence is just 4 of 11 inside the opposing 20-yard line.

If Jacksonville continues to underperform on key downs offensively, it could turn out to be another game that’s a lot closer than it probably should be on paper. The Jaguars are a much better team than the Texans. They just have to go prove it on Sunday and secure their first home win of the season and end Houston’s string of success in Duval County.