Welcome to the Week 10 edition of 'Speaking with the Enemy,' a new weekly feature here at Toro Times where I'll be sleuthing for some intel on each week's Houston Texans opponent.
This week, ahead of a Week 3 rematch between the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars, I threw some questions in the direction of Carlos Sanchez of Black & Teal to get a feel for what the mood in Duval County is heading into this AFC South rivalry game.
Sonny Giuliano: Carlos, thanks for taking a few minutes out of your day to talk with me about this Sunday's matchup between the Houston Texans and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Let's start here... these two teams played all the way back in Week 3. It was a 17-10 win for Jacksonville down in Duval County. Now, as the Jaguars prepare for their trip to Houston, what would you say the biggest difference between the team then is compared to the team now? You know, aside from no Travis Hunter and the addition of Jakobi Meyers.
Carlos Sanchez: The biggest difference between now and then is that the Jaguars are more acclimated to Liam Coen's culture. Like any other first-time head coach, he's had to learn on the fly but should have a better grasp of what the job entails 10 weeks into the season. Of course, the Jags just traded for another weapon in Jakobi Meyers. On the other hand, the Jags will be without tight end Brenton Strange and safety Eric Murray. Both of them came through in Week 3 but will be unavailable this time around because they landed on Injured Reserve.
SG: Speaking of Jakobi Meyers, what was the general reaction among Jaguars fans of that trade? How much should we expect to see of him this Sunday, and is there any chance that this deal between these two teams was worked out at a blackjack table at a Vegas casino after the Jags defeated the Raiders this past Sunday?
CS: Jakobi Meyers is as sure-handed as they come. He has one of the lowest drop rates in the NFL dating back to 2020. That will come in handy for a Jaguars team that has been plagued by drops this season. Heading into Week 10, Jacksonville leads the NFL with a concerning 30 drops.
On the other hand, I expect Meyers to be on a snap count. He'll have limited time to soak up the playbook, and Liam Coen has already stated that he'll mostly line up in the boundaries. As the season passes, he should play in the slot and outside as he's done throughout his career.
SG: Talk to me about Trevor Lawrence. It seems like he's one of the more polarizing quarterbacks around the NFL. Someone who has put up pretty solid traditional stats in the past -- back to back 4,000 yard seasons in 2022 and 2023 -- but also has had his issues with accuracy, his passer rating has never been above 96 in a single season, and his record as a starter is 27-41. Where does everyone in Jacksonville stand on Lawrence right now?
CS: The issue with Trevor Lawrence is that he'll make throws that other quarterbacks would only make on their dreams but will miss the routine ones. In particular, he's struggled in the screen game. Couple that with the fact that he hasn't gotten much help from his supporting cast, and he's not improved as much as everyone expected under Liam Coen.
Speaking of Coen, he's truly the first coach who's working one-on-one with Lawrence. Doug Pederson delegated his development to right man Press Taylor, and the final product left much to be desired. That said, there's a point in which you cannot keep making excuses, and Lawrence has failed to live up to expectations. He's been paid like a top-10 quarterback but isn't playing like one. The good news is that he should have a firmer grasp of Coen's system as the year progresses, so I wouldn't be shocked if he gets hot and finishes the year strong.
SG: What's been the most promising part of the first half of the season in the Liam Coen era?
CS: That they're developing a feisty personality. With Liam Coen at the helm, they're not letting themselves get bullied. Last year, Doug Pederson didn't fight back when Azeez Al-Shaair knocked Trevor Lawrence out and even reprimanded his players for escalating the situation.
Meanwhile, Coen is turning the Jags into a physical team. Al-Shaair himself got trumped in their first matchup against Houston this season. Similarly, Jaguars players are routinely looking out for each other and have each other's back in case a brawl takes place.
SG: Give me one Jags player that's flying under the radar that Texans fans should be keeping an eye on this Sunday afternoon.
CS: There are a handful. Montaric Brown comes to mind, most definitely. A seventh-round pick in 2022, he's gotten ample playing time throughout his career but wasn't particularly consistent in past year. It wasn't until 2024 that he hit his stride.
Brown was making a strong bid for a starting job in training camp before he suffered a leg injury that sidelined him for the preseason and the early part of the regular season. Once he returned, he joined the starting lineup and more than held his own. It's also worth noting that he's in a contract season, so he's incentivized to boost his stock for 2026.
SG: Finally, assuming the Jaguars head into Houston and finish off a season sweep of the Texans, what will be the reason why they were able to do so? What does that win look like in your mind?
CS: If the Jaguars win is because they put an emphasis on fundamentals. As noted before, drops have been an issue, but so have penalties. If they don't steer clear of sound execution and keep mistakes at a minimum, they'll pull off the sweep.