5 studs who played a role in the Jaguars dominant win vs. the Texans

Football is the ultimate team sport but the Jacksonville Jaguars showed in their dominant win over the Houston Texans in Week 17 that they don’t need Trevor Lawrence to have a great day to take away opposing teams. Heck, the Jags show they can win even if their quarterback isn’t perfect.

Lawrence threw for 152 yards with no touchdowns and one pic. However, the defense managed to get the ball back and the interception ended up not affecting the Jaguars. On the other hand, he did complete 80.95 percent of his passes, so he was far from underwhelming.

Simply, the Jags didn’t need much from the former Clemson Tiger to beat the Texans and instead leaned on other players to get their eighth win of the year and get one step closer to making the playoffs. With that in mind, here are five of several studs that played a role in dismantling Houston in Week 17.

5 Jacksonville Jaguars who shined vs. the Houston Texans in Week 17

Travis Etienne, running back

Sophomore running back Travis Etienne cooled down a bit and didn’t have as many opportunities to shine following a hot stretch from Weeks 4 to 9. But he showed in Week 17 that he’s still the same playmaker and will make plays when called upon.

Against the Texans, Etienne broke off a 62-yard run and racked up 108 yards on just nine carries. He was so efficient early in the game that the coaching staff decided to pull him in the second half.

Snoop Conner, running back

With Etienne out in the second half, the Jaguars leaned on JaMycal Hasty and rookie Snoop Conner. Both of them reached the end zone but the latter gets the nod because he scored the first touchdown of his NFL career. Conner gave the referee the ball after scoring but quickly realized how meaningful the moment was and managed to get the ball back.

Heading into the season, the former Ole Miss was expected to be an important part of the Jaguars’ backfield but was instead inactive for several contests. However, he’s now appeared in seven games and seen an uptick in playing time.

K’Lavon Chaisson, edge rusher

Injuries are never pleasant, especially the ones that force players to miss an extended amount of time. On the other hand, they present an opportunity for others to show what they got. With edge rusher Dawuane Smoot out for the year, former K’Lavon Chaisson got more playing time than usual and made the most of it.

The player known as Swiper logged 33 defensive snaps against the Texans and registered a tackle for a loss and a sack. All things considered, it was one of the best performances in Chaisson’s career. You could make the case that there were other players that were more dominant against the Texans but he took advantage of the opportunity he had, something he hasn’t always done.

Josh Allen, edge rusher

This writer argued on the days preceding the game that the Jaguars would need both Chaisson and Allen to come through and that’s precisely what they both did. Just like Chaisson, Allen had a sack and forced the fumble that cornerback Tyson Campbell returned for a touchdown. Moreover, he logged nine pressures and posted a Pro Football Focus overall grade of 92.4, the highest among Jaguars players in Week 17.

Allen has had a relatively quiet season but he proved against Houston that he can be dominant.

Christian Kirk, wide receiver

The Jaguars didn’t take many deep shots against the Texans and none of their skill players post great numbers. Christian Kirk only managed to haul in two passes but the first one meant a lot to him because it helped him cross the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his NFL career and set a new career high in receptions with 78.

Similarly, Evan Engram set a new franchise record for yards by a tight end in a season. This is the third time in a season he’s broken records (individual and team) in 2022 and head coach Doug Pederson made sure to praise both players after the game.