Weather won't be an excuse for Jaguars to challenge Texans in Week 4

The Jacksonville Jaguars are quickly letting the 2024 season slip off their fingers. If they want to regain control, they must beat the Houston Texans in Week 4. Unfortunately, that sounds easier than it actually is when you take into account that the Jags are 0-3 and without clear direction. The fact that divisional games are never easy will further complicate things.

While every game matters, you can make the case that those in the division carry more weight. Pederson said as much when he met with the local media ahead of the contest against Houston.

"They're important for many reasons," Pederson told the local media when asked how important the next two games against divisional foes are. "One, obviously it's the next game, but two, it's division. We start our division here this weekend. and these next two games. Then, trying to just get on track and get ourselves these first three games kind of behind us, but they're all big. They're all important. And guys understand that, and they're prepared. They're ready to go. We just gotta go play."

Right after the Texans, the Jags will take on the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4. Pederson says that it's never too early to face divisional rivals.

"I think you got to make sure that the players understand the magnitude, the importance of every football game, and especially those in the AFC and now in the AFC South. So it's never too important, never too soon to start talking that. Our situation is different because we're all in three, we've got to come out, try to play good football."

The Jaguars are a 6.0-point underdog for the game and will need to play play good football — as Pederson says — to have a shot. Working in their favor is that the weather won't be a factor for the game.

So how do things look for the Jaguars from a weather perspective in Week 4?

If the game were played in Florida, the weather could be an issue because of Hurricane Helena, but it will be held at NRG Stadium, so it won't be affected by it.

NFLWeather projects a clear day without chances of precipitation during the game. It will be 86 degrees Fahrenheit for kickoff and could go up to 89 degrees. But even if the weather were a factor, NRG Stadium has a retractable roof, so it would not affect the contests.

All things considered, this is a great opportunity for the Jags to unleash their passing game. Currently, they rank 30th in the league in points scored. Trevor Lawrence, for his part, hasn't been great this season, completing 52.8 percent of his passes for 560 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. If there's a game in which he needs to sling the pigskin, this is it.

Evan Engram won't be suiting up, but No. 16 won't have a shortage of weapons, with Christian Kirk Gabe Davis, and Brian Thomas Jr. in the fold. Add the presence of Brenton Strange, and Jacksonville has enough firepower to keep up with the Texans. The X-Factor could turn out to be the offensive line, which hasn't been great this season. Pro Football Focus currently has them as the fourth-worst group in the league.

If the hog mollies do their job up front, the Jags might have a chance.

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