Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Houston Texans: Keep Your Enemies Close – 5 Questions with Toro Times

3. The Texans were dealt a huge blow when J.J. Watt was shut down for the rest of the season. How has this defense managed to continue playing well, and who has emerged in his absence?

"Like I said earlier, Clowney has really come into his own this year. Brian Cushing has also been a rock for the Texans this season, really helping solidify the run defense. He and Bernardrick McKinney have really become a good duo in the middle. John Simon also played a big earlier in the season but has been out with an injury the last few weeks. However without Watt the pass rush has really suffered."

My take:

Clearly this is a different Texans team without perhaps the greatest pass rusher in the history of the NFL in the starting lineup, but they are still formidable. While Clowney is undoubtedly a disappointment given his draft status, he’s been a good player for them. The Texans defense seems littered with good players and it’s hard to find a debilitating deficiency at any position. That’s partly why Blake Bortles has and will continue to struggle mightily against the Texans. That and the fact that Bortles is under the tutelage of the worst head coach to ever step on a football field.

Next: Ramsey of course