Can the Jaguars offense rebound vs. the Texans? 3 storylines to watch in Week 3

The Jacksonville Jaguars aren't panicking after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2. However, they know that they need to play much better, especially on offense, if they want to get back on track. Next on the Jags' schedule is a Houston Texans team that is highly motivated to get their first win of the year.

On paper, this is a favorable matchup for the Jaguars. Houston will be without cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., who could miss several weeks with a hamstring injury. Also, left tackle Laremy Tunsil is dealing with a knee injury and there's a chance he won't be 100 percent Sunday.

That said, the Jaguars can't uncork the champagne just yet. They'll need to show up Sunday and prove that last week's underwhelming performance was an outlier and not the norm. With that in mind, here are three storylines to keep an eye on in Week 3.

3. Josh Allen's availability and the general state of the Jaguars pass rush vs. the Texans

Outside linebacker Josh Allen is currently day-to-day with a shoulder injury. The good news is that it looks like he'll play if he doesn't have any setbacks before Sunday. So let's say he does suit up, the question then becomes how much of an impact he'll have against the Texans.

In the opener, Allen had three sacks but only one against the Chiefs. Then again, he consistently applied pressure up front and had a huge hit on Patrick Mahomes when he threw an interception to safety Andre Cisco.

If Allen isn't at full strength, sophomore Travon Walker and K'Lavon Chaisson, who had his first sack of the season in Week 2, will need to step up. But right now, it looks like the Jaguars' pass rush is in good shape heading into the game.

2. Jaguars RT Anton Harrison will have a chance to make strides in Week 3

Some players need more than others when adjusting to the NFL. In Anton Harrison's case, he's also had to get acclimated to playing right tackle after mostly lining up on the left side at Oklahoma. Not surprisingly, the rookie is having growing pains.

Harrison has allowed three sacks the past two games and has struggled in the running game. However, the Jags aren't pushing the panic button just yet. In fact, they're fully behind their right tackle. Just recently, Gene Frenette of The Florida Times-Union wrote that there is nobody in the building who doubts about their right tackle.

Offensive coordinator Press Taylor said the team should've done a better job of helping Harrison when he went against defensive tackle Chris Jones in Week 2. Similarly, he got an endorsement from Jones himself following the game.

This isn't a case of a team shielding one of their players from criticism and placing him in an isolation bubble. Rather, the Jaguars know that Harrison needs time to develop.

Harrison, for his part, can't dwell in the past. He needs to take the last two games in stride and not overthink things. The last thing he should do is trying to avoid making mistakes. He's got the tools and the talent to succeed. He now needs to trust himself and keep doing what he's done to get where he's at. After all, he wasn't drafted 27th overall by mistake and he'll have a chance to take a step forward against the Texans.

1. Can Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars offense rebound vs. the Texans in Week 3?

The Jaguars scored 31 points in the season opener but only mustered nine against the Chiefs in Week 3. However you look at it, that kind of output is unacceptable, especially when you take into account that Jacksonville has a top-10 (5?) quarterback in Trevor Lawrence and a wide array of weapons.

Whether the Jags tried to throw or run the ball, they struggled to move the ball against the Chiefs. Even when they managed to get into the red zone, they had to settle for field goals. The good news is that there's a strong chance the Chiefs loss was an outlier and not the sign of things to come.

After all, Trevor Lawrence is still same player he was at the end of the 2022 season. He went 0-of-7 in the red zone but Calvin Ridley and Zay Jones should also shoulders some of the blame for that. Expect all of them, along with the offensive line, to go all out Sunday.

Head coach Doug Pederson cited a week of subpar practices as one of the reasons for the underwhelming Week 2 performance. However, he doesn't think that should be an issue against the Texans.

As of this writing, it looks like wide receiver Zay Jones won't suit up Sunday but the offense should be in good shape even if that's the case. Tim Jones or Jamal Angew could get an increased role on offense or maybe the coaching staff could deploy more tight end sets. Either way, the Jaguars are in a position to rebound and start a winning streak against the Texans.

Here are other recent Jaguars stories you may also like: