Jacksonville Jaguars vs Houston: Tyrod Taylor plus 9 Texans to watch

A fan waits for the start of the game between the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. (Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)
A fan waits for the start of the game between the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. (Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports) /
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Jacksonville Jaguars
Fans of the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. – Jacksonville Jaguars (Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports) /

The Jacksonville Jaguars cleaned house this offseason, making changes to the coaching staff, the front office, and more importantly, the roster. Gone are head coach Doug Marrone and general manager David Caldwell and Urban Meyer and Trent Baalke were brought in to take their place, respectively.

Caldwell and Meyer have revamped a roster that had a few playmakers but not enough to win football games. At least on paper, both the offense and the defense look better on paper due to all the upgrades the Jaguars’ brass made in the offseason.

The Houston Texans also underwent a rebuild, the difference is that they didn’t have as many resources as Jacksonville, and couldn’t make as many impactful additions. Whereas the Jags selected quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the top selection in this year’s draft, the Texans lacked picks in the first and second round, making their first selection until round three.

Heading into Sunday’s game, Jacksonville is a 3.0-point favorite to win the game. They will have all their starting offensive lineman and cornerbacks Tre Herndon and Tyson Campbell are the only Jaguars at risk of missing the game. Meanwhile, the Texans might be without EDGE rusher Withney Mercilus, linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis, defensive tackle Maliek Collins, and defensive back Lonny Johnson Jr.

Although this looks like a favorable matchup for the Jaguars, they can’t afford to take their archrivals lightly. Divisional games are always though and even though Jacksonville looks like the better team, they can’t take the win for granted. After all, the Jags lost both of their games against Houston last season. Here are ten Texans they must hold in check if they want to win the season opener.