Jacksonville Jaguars Win Second in a Row on the Road, Defeat Houston Texans 13-6

Nov 24, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Chad Henne (7) and center Brad Meester (63) signal before a play during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The Jacksonville Jaguars looked to be back to their losing ways when they fell to the Arizona Cardinals at home last week, but they managed to go on the road and defeat a Houston Texans team that is spiraling down the drain. The Jaguar offense struggled as they have all season, but they at least managed to avoid the costly mistakes that doomed them so often in previous games. The defense was dominant against an overmatched Case Keenum and the unit as a whole has improved tremendously from the beginning of the season.

Here are some general notes from Sunday’s game:

• Chad Henne certainly didn’t win the game for the Jaguars, but he didn’t lose it and that’s the most you can ask from him. He completed the easy throws and didn’t put the defense in a bad spot with any dumb interceptions. It’s hard to justify bringing Gabbert back into the mix when he can’t provide even the meager level of play Henne can.
• Denard Robinson only touched the ball once as a “quarterback” and actually threw a pretty good pass. It wasn’t completed, but it’s nice to see Shoelace getting involved in any way.
• The defense was outstanding in every facet. The secondary continues to improve every week and looks like it could potentially be as good as the unit in Seattle in the near future. Alan Ball and Dwayne Gratz held Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins in check, while Johnathan Cyprien had by far his best game coverage-wise.
• Andre Branch was playing poorly enough in the preseason to be released, but he’s come on strong over the last few games. He had a sack and disrupted the pocket a handful of times.
• Maurice Jones-Drew had by far his best game of the season and showed he still has some life in his legs. He was a big part of the passing game as Chad Henne opted to stay safe and check down often.
• Again, whoever is playing quarterback next year is going to have a slew of weapons at his disposal. Cecil Shorts III, Ace Sanders, and Mike Brown are all solid options and Justin Blackmon’s potential return coupled with whoever David Caldwell picks up in the offseason are reasons to get excited.

We’ll have a more thorough analysis with Pro Football Focus numbers later in the week.

– Daniel Lago

Yell at me on Twitter @dlago89