After beating the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5, the Jacksonville Jaguars could be facing a motivated Houston Texans team in what could turn out to be a trap game in London.
The Texans just won their first game of the season in Week 5. And after their win over the Tennessee Titans, they traded for wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who'll try to resurrect his NFL career after an underwhelming stint with the Arizona Cardinals.
When you add it all up, Houston suddenly has momentum ahead of the London game. Suddenly, they look like a threat that the Jags cannot afford to take lightly, especially when you take into account how tough rivalry games are.
The Jaguars will have to worry about Marvin Harrison Jr. in Week 6
The Jaguars managed to beat the Philadelphia Eagles with Cam Little's walk-off field goal. However, they were at risk of losing the game due to mistakes and a concerning lack of execution. Penalties, in particular, were an issue, with Jacksonville getting flagged 13 times. That's simply too many, and head coach Liam Coen will need his team to execute against the Texans if they want to avoid going into their BYE with a loss lingering.
Sure, you could make the case that Houston beat a winless Titans team, but the Texans have more than enough talent on both sides of the ball to give Jacksonville fits.
Their defense is still one of the top units in the NFL. Will Anderson Jr. remains one of the most dominant pass rushers in the business. Already, he's registered 7.5 sacks this season. Fellow defensive end Danielle Hunter, safety Jalen Pitre, and cornerback Derek Stingley are also around, so Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville defense will have a tough test in Week 6. That said, the Houston offense could suddenly be equally dangerous.
Although C.J. Stroud's numbers don't pop off the stat sheet, he's having a pretty good, if underrated, season. And he'll just get a weapon on Marvin Harrison Jr., who'll be motivated to prove he's still the highly talented prospect who went overall in the 2024 draft.
It's worth noting that Stroud and Harrison played together at Ohio State, so their rapport should carry over into the NFL.
Granted, Harrison left much to be desired in the desert but will give Houston a much-needed boost opposite Nico Collins. Tight end Dalton Schultz could also benefit from his arrival, as Harrison could create favorable matchups for him in the middle of the field.
Related: The Marvin Harrison trade shows the Jags could get max value for Brian Thomas Jr.
The Jaguars must prevent Marvin Harrison Jr. from giving the Texans momentum
Of course, there's a chance Harrison will continue to struggle in Houston, but the fact that the Texans traded for him shows that they're not throwing in the towel just yet despite the fact that they lost four games to start the year.
And that's the thing, teams with momentum are dangerous, and trading for Harrison Jr. could spark a surge. Working in the Jaguars' favor is that they have enough talent on defense to fend off their division rival. Their pass rush isn't racking up big sack numbers but is most definitely rattling opposing quarterbacks. Similarly, their run defense is still the best in the whole NFL.
And with Trevor Lawrence leading the offense, Jacksonville has enough firepower to outmatch the Texans' defense.
Simply put, the Jaguars must stop the Texans' momentum in Week 6 and prevent them from becoming a threat in the AFC South race.
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