Can the Jaguars Slow Arian Foster?
By Luke Sims
Arian Foster and the Houston Texans take on the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. The Jags are out of the playoff hunt at 2-10 but can still play spoiler to the Texans, having to play them twice over the final four weeks.
Despite Ryan Fitzpatrick’s amazing six touchdown performance last week, the Texans have struggled to find consistency in their passers. It was Ryan Mallett’s team until last week when he was forced to leave the game and then Fitzpatrick made some people into believers.
The best consistency for the Houston offense, however, is through running back Arian Foster.
Foster has 901 yards through just nine games so far this season, powering through good defenses and bad to do his part and help the Texans get to where they are today: 6-6 and still alive statistically.
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Foster has six 100 yard games in the 2014 season and, like his team, has split them 3-3 so far. The losses, however, are not his fault. There’s only so much a running back can do.
Against the Jaguars it might just be enough, though. The Jags have struggled to slow down runners so far this season. Last week Rashad Jennings was nearing 100 yards before being forced out due to injury. They’ve allowed over 190 rushing yards in two games this season. Only three games have seen the Jags hold an opponent to under 100 rushing yards.
So far this season, it doesn’t look like the Jaguars can muster up much of a rush defense to stop one of the best in the business.
So, what the Jaguars need to do is buckle down. They are incredibly young on defense and while they have excelled at rushing the passer so far this season, they have let some running backs come in and dominate the game. They need to mind their gaps and make sure to wrap up and tackle Foster. Ideally, the defensive line won’t let him hit the young linebackers who have struggled with that. Foster will excel if he gets into the second and third levels of the defense.
While I want to see Sen’Derrick Marks and company get on the quarterback, it may be worth it to have them patiently play the run rather than go after the passer in this game. Foster can just be that dominant.
It’ll be tough for the Jags, who are facing arguably the best running back so far this season (excluding DeMarco Murray) but they need to focus on slowing Foster down if they want a shot at staying in this game. It worked twice last year.
Force Fitzpatrick to put together two good games in a row, it’s a bet I’m willing to make.