The Jaguars meet the Houston Texans in an AFC South showdown

Does Jacksonville have the weapons to beat the Texans and win their third straight game?

The Jacksonville Jaguars meet the Texans in a key game. It is a game that gives the Jaguars a winning record for the season and a division win as well.

Prior to the October 20 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Jaguars record was 2-4 and the season looked like 2018 revisited. At that time, I wrote a story for Black and Teal stating that the Jaguars could make the playoffs if certain things happened. Many laughs followed.

"“The best way to make the playoffs is to win the division. The Jaguars must win the rest of their division games.”"

Jacksonville was ready to face the 0-6 Bengals and the 1-5 New York Jets to be followed by a game against the Texans here in London.

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"“If the team wins all three of the above games their record would be 5-4 and the playoff conversation could begin again.”"

The good news is that the Jaguars did win the first two games and are ready to play the third game with a good chance to win.  According to the most recent FanSided power rankings, the 4-4 Jaguars are 16th overall and the Texans, 5-3 this season, are ranked 11th.  Although the Texans are rated higher the game is in London and the team is very familiar with the environment at Wembley Stadium.

Houston has some exciting players to watch during the game. One who will be missed is J.J. Watt. He is on injured reserve. Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is having a stellar season with 60 catches for 617 yards and three touchdowns. Outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus has 29 tackles and 5.5. sacks.

The star of the Texans is quarterback Deshaun Watson. He is mobile and can run when needed, can pass the football with ease, and is a leader on the field.

"Per Stephen Forsha of Toro Times, “No matter what when the Texans have Watson as their quarterback when trailing they have a chance to win the game, and he is more likely to gain victory….in that pressure-packed late-game situation.”"

The good news in 2019 is that the Black and Teal have a quarterback who is playing very well, too. Gardner Minshew is the rookie surprise of the NFL this season. He has thrown for 1,976 yards, 13 touchdowns, and is completing over 60 percent of his passes. He is capable of extending plays and his level-headed manner keeps the offense on an even keel throughout the game.

Minshew was sacked four times in his first game against the Texans but he has more playing experience now and will do much better without Watt in the game.

The team’s defense is ranked 12th in the NFL and has improved each week. Not only do the Jaguars have returning stars like Calais Campbell and Yannick Ngakoue they have younger players like Josh Allen, Ronnie Harrison, and Tre Herndon who are getting better every week.