5 things the Jaguars will need to do to beat the Texans in Week 6

The Jacksonville Jaguars will play a familiar foe in Week 6: The Houston Texans. A win over their AFC South rivals will allow them to go into their BYE with a 5-1 record, the best the Jags would have had to start a season since 1999.

Of course, beating the Texans won't be a walk in the park. They've overcome slow starts under head coach DeMeco Ryans in the past to eventually make the playoffs. It will be up to the Jags to stall their momentum this time around. And with this in mind, here are five things they'll have to do to have a shot at beating Houston in Week 6.

5 things that need to happen in Week 6 for the Jaguars to beat the Texans

The Jaguars need to cut down on the penalties

After being one of the most disciplined teams to start the season, the Jaguars suddenly have a penalty problem. They've managed to win their last two games despite the fact that they were flagged 13 times in each of them. The Jags will have to take care of the issue before it comes back to haunt them.

Liam Coen acknowledges that he must do a better job of calling plays to avoid delay of game penalties. But Jacksonville has also been flagged for holding at a high rate this season. To remedy the trouble, the coaching staff must put an emphasis on execution and technique against Houston. If they do, their odds of winning will increase substantially.

The Jaguars need to get the rushing game going to slow down the Texans pass rush

Jacksonville has the best run defense in the NFL, but the Texans also excel at stymying the run. They rank third in the league with 78.4 rushing yards per game allowed. This means that the Jags could have trouble getting their running game going, but they commit to running the football if they don't want to give the Houston pass rush a favorable matchup.

Working in the Jags' favor is that they have a productive running back in Bhayshul Tuten, who's on pace to reach the 1,100-yard mark this season. They need to feed him the ball to keep the Texans defense honest and prevent them from dropping an extra player in coverage.

If Tuten has success on the ground, Trevor Lawrence will have an easier time getting the ball to his receiver.

The Jaguars need to slow down Nico Collins

The Texans just traded for Marvin Harrison Jr., and head coach DeMeco Ryans says that they'll ease him into action. While the Jags can't take their eyes off Harrison, Nico Collins should be their main concern.

In his last five games against Jacksonville, Collins has reeled in a combined 42 catches for 614 yards with three touchdowns. The Jags can't allow him to have that kind of success if they want to slow down the Houston defense.

Working in their favor is that the Jags have Travis Hunter this time around. The former Heisman Trophy winner is entering his first full season as a starting cornerback and should shadow Collins for a good chunk of the game.

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The Jaguars' pass rush can't let C.J. Stroud get too comfortable

After a promising rookie campaign in 2023, C.J. Stroud left much to be desired the past two years. However, he's bounced back and is playing some of the best football of his career this season, completing 64.3 percent of his throws for 1,402 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions.

Sure, the Texans have won just one game this season, and it was against the hapless Titans, but Stroud is the least of their concerns. And precisely for that reason, the Jaguars must force him into making mistakes.

Although the Jags haven't racked up sacks at a high rate this season, they've done a good job of getting after the quarterback.

The trend must continue against Houston to force Stroud into making mistakes.

Walker Little must hold his own against the Texans pass rush

Anton Harrison landed on the Injured Reserve list after suffering a knee injury in Week 5. It's uncertain just how much time he's going to miss, but Walker Little is the next man up at left tackle, and he'll have his work cut out for him against Danielle Hunter.

Even though Hunter hasn't been nearly as dominant as he's been in past years, he's still been a productive pass rusher. Compounding the issue is that the Texans have a pretty good No. 3 in Jadeveon Clowney, so Little will need to do his best to protect Trevor Lawrence's blindside.

Little was flagged for a false start against the Eagles but otherwise fared well, giving up no sacks or pressures in relief of Harrison. He'll need to once again show out against the Eagles.

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