Arian Foster proved that he is invaluable against the better defenses in the victory over Chicago.  Source:  Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

1)  The Texans just won the “battle of the defenses” against Chicago.  Who is contributing the most to lead that impressive defense?

Without a doubt, easily DE J.J. Watt. He is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate and even potential NFL MVP candidate. He has come on so strong in his second year and become a national sensation. Watt has recorded a 10.5 sacks and 10 passes batted down going into the 10th game of the season. With that being said, in terms of tackling, SS Glover Quin leads the way with 46 and is tied for the team lead in fumbles forced, sharing the honor with rookie OLB Whitney Mercilus at two apiece. OLB Connor Barwin has come on lately, not unlike last year, with two timely sacks, including one for a safety on Joe Flacco versus the Baltimore Ravens.

2)  Matt Schaub has been hot and cold at times this season, will it hurt the team entering the playoffs?

Good question. Schaub has never started a postseason game. Let’s look at his all around game first. Schaub will never be an elite passer because Gary Kubiak’s  is a run first offense, not necessitating a QB who passes for 300 yards per game. Schaub plays his role and he plays it well. He is 10th in the league in QBR, and middle of the pack in all other categories like yards per game and TDs. However, he is tied with Peyton Manning for lowest number of sacks for a starting QB through the 2012 season at only 11, and Schaub has 6 INTs to 13 TDs. Here’s what really matters: since week 7 of last season, Schaub has gone 12-1 when starting at QB for the Texans. This leads the league in winning percentage for that time span. With this defense, this running game and Schaub’s play action capabilities, it does not appear that Schaub will be any sort of impediment throughout the rest of the 2012 season and into the playoffs.

3)  In the second matchup for 2012 it looks like the Texans will dominate the Jaguars again, is there any cause to worry for Houston?

Truthfully, this is the least worried I’ve been about a game this season. However, this is a divisional game and it is still the NFL. The Texans are coming off of an emotional win against the Bears last week. Was that a draining experience for the team or did it pump up their enthusiasm and lust for victory? And I do not doubt Jacksonville’s will to win. If the Texans come out flat and the Jaguars are able to make a couple of big plays on offense and defense, plus perform on special teams, it could be competitive. I point to the Texans game versus the Jets. The circumstances were not the same, but the Jets felt they were against the wall and played that way. The Texans made a few mistakes. This kept the game competitive throughout the game into the fourth quarter.

J.J. Watt’s influence cannot be understated.  Source: Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

4)  There’s been some talk of making J.J. Watt MVP, can he keep up the impressive play and be the first defensive player to win the award since Lawrence Taylor in 1986?

If there were any defensive player capable of winning the league MVP award for the first time in 26 years, it must be J.J. Watt. His teammates call him Mr. Perfect, I have never heard him accused of a dirty hit, his stats are gaudy and he seems like the guy Roger Goodell himself would want his daughter to date. Watt is the ideal guy to be the face of the league and has the stats to back it up. Not saying it will happen, but it definitely could if he continues on this trajectory.

5)  Who on the Texans’ roster is quietly developing behind the already good/great players in the limelight?

In very limited playing time, 1st round draft pick, OLB Whitney Mercilus has been tearing it up during his time on the field. Mercilus saw the most playing time in weeks 7 and 9 (week 8 was the Texans bye.) Out of 25 plays between the two games, Mercilus tallied 3 sacks, 13 tackles, 1 pass defended and 2 forced fumbles. On offense, look no further than TE Owen Daniels. In 2012, Daniels has returned to pre-2009 injury form, tallying 37 receptions for 478 yards with 5 TDs. He’s had extremely sure hands and is averaging almost 13 yards per reception. Daniels makes life difficult for linebackers facing him and is the Texans go to receiver in the middle of the field. Plus, he is a talented blocker.

6)  Who on the roster has been underperforming for the Texans this season?

On offense, we have to look to rookie WR Keshawn Martin. Martin is extremely talented but has failed to make any real impact in the passing game. Honestly, his role is more of a decoy. He’s shown to be capable of running his routes and catching passes during trash time versus Green Bay, but in the return game and in terms of being a receiving target, he has fallen short of expectations thus far. On defense we could look to Brice McCain. Last year, his coverage was tight. In 2012, McCain has struggled in coverage and given up some big receptions. He’s been beat downfield and his tackling has not been nearly as impressive as it was in 2011.

7)  How do you see this game shaking out?  Will it be close or will it be a blowout?

Jeez, on one hand, I love to see my team blow another out. However, the Jaguars are my favorite opponent. Truthfully. And not just because they are 1-8. They are the team within the division with a fun fanbase and I tend to root for them. Of course, I don’t want them to win, nor do I expect them to. I do, however hope they have a few big plays to keep it competitive. That is definitely more fun as a fan, although I do expect the Texans to leave Reliant with a victory.

Feel free to follow Claire @TheClaireBear23 and State of the Texans on Twitter!  A big thanks for answering our questions.

1)  The Texans, especially the defense, looked very opportunistic against the Dolphins.  Besides J.J. Watt who will be making the big plays for the Texans D against the Jags?

Facing Maurice Jones-Drew this week should be a good test for a Texans run defense who Reggie Bush ran against for 4.9 YPC last week. Saw some good stuff when the Texans got tired of getting gashed by Bush and sent Danieal Manning to play in the box. Frequent Texans unsung hero Glover Quin had a tough hit on Dolphins RB Daniel Thomas that led to a fumble plus six tackles.

The pass defense was a brighter story, although it was against a rookie QB who had a rap for getting balls batted down in college. J.J. Watt, as you mentioned had a monster game, with 3 deflected passes, two of which resulted in touchdowns by the Texans defense. Watt also had 1.5 sacks on the day. We expect more of the same from Watt in week 2. We need to see more from Connor Barwin and Brooks Reed in getting to the quarterback against the Jaguars, whose passing game will be stronger than the Dolphins proved to be.

Johnathan Joseph against Justin Blackmon seems like it will be an interesting matchup. Blackmon is a talented young wide out, but Joseph is a wiley veteran who is capable of disguising coverages. I look forward to seeing who comes out on top of what will be a battle of wills between the two.

2)  Matt Schaub has looked sharp.  He was considered one of the best QBs in the league before being injured last season, do you think he can keep pace with 5,000 yard passers like Drew Brees, Tom Brady, and Matt Stafford?

Many Texans fans were displeased by the offensive showing in week one, though Matt Schaub (20/31 for 266) can hardly be blamed for the mediocre passing performance against Miami. The Texans ranked 15th in the league last week in pass offense but five dropped passes did not help and Reliant Stadium was clamoring for more agressive offensive play calling. I think we can all agree that the Texans offense will never put Schaub in position to compete with the elite passers in the NFL and it’s questionable whether he would produce to that level even in such a system. A lot of Schaub’s accolades come from how he leads the Kubiak-designed offense, which doesn’t require a Stafford like arm at the helm for success.

Will Foster be able to do to the Jags what Adrian Peterson did last week?  Source: Thomas Campbell-US PRESSWIRE

On the other hand, Texans players vociferously tout Kubiak as an offensive mastermind and Schaub plays his role in that offense to a consistently effective degree.  Texans-style offense is about the run and the threat of the run. We can expect more of the same from the Texans against the Jaguars this week. Given what Adrian Peterson did last week versus the Jaguars, we should expect the Texans attack to be on the ground as has been our identity.

3)  Will Arian Foster and Ben Tate go for 1,000 yards each again this season?  How much will the team rely on the run game without having to start a rookie QB?

There really isn’t much reason to believe Kubiak will stray too far away from the running game this season. As the updated offensive line (read: the right side of the line) gets more confident with their ability to block as a unit for Foster and Tate, expect to continue to see the offense revolve around our zone run scheme and use of the passing game to set up the run. If the Texans continue to run the offense to which we’ve become accustomed, and no significant injuries occur, Foster will definitely be above 1000 yards, likely closer to 1500. As long as Foster starts all 16, Tate will likely be just below 1000 yards in 2012. There were a few new looks in the backfield last week, like both Foster and Tate in on the same plays. We hope to see more of these interesting formations in the coming weeks.

4)  That rebuilt right side of the O-line looked good against the Dolphins, how well have they gelled thus far?  Will their play dictate the play of the offense?

Derek Newton wasn’t terribly disappointing in his first game as starter: although Schaub was hurried but managed to get the ball away, Newton provided a good level of run blocking and pass protection. Wade Smith and Antoine Caldwell gave up sacks and even O-line stalwarts Duane Brown and Chris Myers got beat a bit throughout the game, but seeing Brown blow up Kevin Burnett with a spectacular block it appeared even Arian Foster wanted to stop and watch while running. Awe-inspiring. Kubiak and fans expect more consistency, but it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been after needing to replace Eric Winston and Mike Brisiel were lost in this past off-season. They need to and will improve throughout the season and allowing Schaub to be less hurried and giving Foster and Tate more time to opportunity to get yards on the ground.

Johnson is a big target and is always a threat when healthy.  Source:  Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

5)  Who should Jags fans pay attention to in the first matchup against the Texans?

As if fans weren’t paying attention before, watch Andre Johnson. He is looking like the Andre of old, going 8/119/1TD in week one.  If Trindon Holliday can overcome nerves and regain the confidence he had in himself in the return game he will be a scary player for any team to try and stop. Whitney Mercilus did little in week one, but should contribute, along with Barwin and Brooks Reed, in the OLB rotation. Then, the Texans new look receiving corps. Drops were a problem in the first week, but when Keshawn Martin and Lestar Jean actually catch the ball, they are both receivers who can torch the opposition. Jean is uses his big body to get open, Martin is quick in the open field. Both can cause matchup problems eventually, but Jean, having a year on Martin, is the more fearsome of the two for the moment.

6)  Will the Texans make this a statement win and crush the Jags or will it be closer than anticipated?

Given the divisional nature of the contest, I put nothing past these two teams. When comparing the two teams the play of Watt, Antonio Smith, Schaub, Andre Johnson and Foster can catapult the Texans to 2-0 versus Gabbert, Shorts, MJD, Posluszny and Knighton . At the same time, there are reasons to believe the Jaguars have a shot at a victory here. But not that big of a shot. The Texans have been kicking themselves and preparing like crazy over the week leading up to Sunday. And while the Jags have a shot, on paper I put the Texans with a 75-80% of leaving Everbank Field with a victory this weekend.

Feel free to follow Claire @TheClaireBear23 and State of the Texans on Twitter!  A big thanks for answering our questions.