Initial Week 4 injury report doesn't bode well for the Jaguars ahead of Texans game

The Jacksonville Jaguars are plummeting, and their fall doesn't seem to have an end. After losing three straight games to start the 2024 season, things won't get any easier when they face the 2-1 Houston Texans in Week 4. The fact that they won't have several key contributors will decrease their chances of getting their first win of the year.

Linebacker Foyesade Oluokun is dealing with plantar fasciitis, so it's not surprising to see him popped up on the initial Week 4 injury report. The silver lining is that he won't land on the Injury Reserve list. Head coach Doug Pederson acknowledged as much when he met with the local media Wednesday.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reported that Oluokun could miss several weeks. Based on Pederson's update, he could sit out four games or fewer. During his absence, Ventrell Miller will step into the starting role next to Devin Lloyd. Pederson believes the sophomore linebacker will be up to the task.

"He's done really well. He's got valuable snaps. Played good the other night, played physical. There's some things we can clean up, but he's really done a nice job."

Aside from Oluokun, Darnell Savage (quad), right tackle Anton Harrison (shoulder), and tight end Evan Engram (hamstring) also showed up on the injury report. Left tackle Cam Robinson also popped up with a knee injury but also appeared the past two weeks, so he won't probably miss time. Similarly, cornerback Jarrian Jones seems to be fine despite the fact that he was listed as limited.

Of the bunch, Savage has the best chance of suiting up in Week 4. The defensive back has missed the past two games while dealing with a quad injury. However, Pederson sounded optimistic about his return.

Engram remains day-to-day after hurting his hamstring in warmups just before the Week 2 matchup against the Cleveland Browns. The team doesn't want to rush him back to the field, so there's a good chance sophomore Brenton Strange will make his third consecutive start.

On the other hand, Harrison exited the loss to the Buffalo Bills and didn't return. If he doesn't play against the Texans, fourth-year pro Walker Little will get the nod at right tackle.

Beating the Texans will be tough for the Jaguars without Foyesade Oluokun and Evan Engram

If the Jacksonville Jaguars want to salvage their season, they'll need to beat the Houston Texans in Week 4. It won't be an easy task, though. Currently, the Jags are a 7-point underdog with a 250+ moneyline, via DraftKings. The game will be at NRG Stadium, so their division foes will have a home-field advantage. Add the fact that they potentially be without several key players, including Evan Engram and Foyesade Oluokun, and their odds don't currently look great.

Right now, the team's biggest issues, though, aren't injury-related. Doug Pederson, for his part, believes it's multiple things.

"I think it's a culmination of everything. something that we got to continue to work through. And look, you're going to have, there's going to be adversity in this league. You're going to be faced with it year in and year out. But it's how you bounce back from it, fight through it because obviously, the head coach and quarterback are gonna get all the criticism. And we have to work through that together."

So what's holding back the Jaguars? Suboptimal communication and poor execution are the culprits behind their 0-3 start. Heck, Brenton Strange has stepped up in Evan Engram's absence. The same is true for Jarrian Jones, who filled in for Darnell Savage the past two games before he suffered a shoulder injury in the loss to he Bills.

This is to say that the coaching staff must put players in a position to succeed and players need to execute. If they do, they'll have a chance, as slight as it may be, of beating the Houston Texans, even without Evan Engram and Foyesade Oluokun.

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