The Houston Texans once again are preparing to face a divisional opponent, one that they have had a great deal of recent success. In desperate need of a win, the team is set to travel to Jacksonville to take on the 1-1 Jaguars.
According to The Football Database, Houston has had their way with Jacksonville dating back to 2016, winning 11 of their last 14 matchups. Despite this positive trend, another victory for the Texans is far from a guarantee.
Struggles along the offensive line and a lack of defensive momentum have been among the notable trends for Houston thus far. Can they conquer it and secure their first victory? What else needs to go right?
Here are three keys to a Week 3 victory for the Houston Texans.
Set the tone on the ground
Earlier we alluded to the struggles of the Houston Texans' offensive line and its impact on the Texans' offense. It has been particularly evident in the team’s rushing attack.
Houston has had no momentum on the ground in their previous two contests, with lead backs Dameon Pierce and Devin Singletary failing to average more than 3.5 yards per carry in each contest.
That simply won’t get the job done and you have to wonder how much of that blame can be put on the rushers themselves in addition to the woeful struggles of the offensive line. Bouncing back in this department is critical to beating down a much improved Jaguars front.
If the Texans are able to maximize their rushing attempts it will make a world of a difference for rookie caller C.J. Stroud and the rest of the Texans offense. Expect this to be a point of emphasis against a tough Jacksonville defense.
Limiting the Jaguars passing attack
It is of little secret that the Jacksonville Jaguars passing attack is the backbone of their offense. With rising star Trevor Lawrence commanding the offense and a bevy of intriguing skill position players, including recently acquired wide receiver Calvin Ridley, the team has a ton of weapons at their disposal.
For the Houston Texans, their job will be to figure out how to neutralize it. Luckily for them, the secondary is a strength of theirs and one that will be called on early and often Sunday. Their necessity for a complete defensive performance cannot be understated.
Injuries have been a storyline for the Texans secondary early in the regular season, with standout safety Jalen Pitre suffering a bruised lung in Week 1’s contest against the Baltimore Ravens. His counterpart Jimmie Ward has been dealing with a lingering hip injury but made a return to Texans practice earlier today.
#Texans safety Jimmie Ward back from hip injury @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/9q50GfmKAa
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) September 20, 2023
The loss of cornerback Derek Stingley to a hamstring injury is a tough one to swallow, but if both safeties are able to suit up, the Texans' defense will receive a huge boost ahead of a critical matchup.
Generating consistent pressure
The pass rush of the Houston Texans has taken on different forms through the first two weeks of action. In the season opener against Baltimore, the edge rush was swarming, amassing four sacks while consistently forcing star quarterback Lamar Jackson to evade the pocket. The same cannot be said against Indianapolis.
The Texans were unable to get much momentum going in that contest, failing to record a single sack and appearing to have no answers to the Colts' dynamic offensive attack. Opposing signal callers Gardner Minshew and rookie Anthony Richardson had their way with the Texans' defense, and that was due in large part to the Texans' inability to collapse the pocket.
A victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars is heavily dependent on which version of the Texans' edge rush that we see on Sunday. If they are able to trend more toward the direction of Week 1, then Houston has a very good chance at amassing a victory.