The Jacksonville Jaguars will be looking to win their fifth game of the 2026 season when they play the rival Houston Texans in Week 6. Leaving aside that divisional matchups generally turn out to be gritty, the Jags may have to deal with a factor that's out of their control.
Jacksonville will play its second London game at Wembley Stadium, a venue with a roof that doesn't completely cover the playing surface. That could turn out to be an issue because of the weather.
The Jaguars may have to deal with rain when they play the Texans in London
NFLWeather projects a 60 percent chance of precipitation for the Jaguars game at Wembley, meaning that it could rain. The temperature will be 58 degrees Fahrenheit throughout most of the game, and there will be winds of 11 MPH, so that won't be an issue.
The Jags will need to change their game plan if it rains. That means leaning on the backfield tandem of Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez more than originally anticipated.
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The Jaguars need to succesfully run the ball vs. the Texans whether it rains
Ideally, Trevor Lawrence will spread the ball to his receivers but won't be able to dial up deep shots if it rains. Instead, he'll probably have to attempt high-completion throws that don't travel much. Similarly, Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez could see their role increase.
The duo has done a good job of running the football, racking up 110 carries for 452 yards with four touchdowns. However, they could have trouble gaining yards against a Houston defense that ranks third in the league, allowing 78.4 yards per game. Then again, Jacksonville would also benefit from rainy weather.
The Jags have the best run defense in the NFL, giving up just 63.8 yards per game. Moreover, the Texans have had trouble getting their rushing game going this season. They rank 31st in the league in rushing yards, and David Montgomery won't play in Week 6. Woody Marks is the next man up at running back.
Sure, Jacksonville had trouble at times stopping the Eagles from pounding the football in Week 5 despite the fact that Saquon Barkley and Tank Bigsby didn't suit up for the game. This is a long-winded way of saying that they cannot overlook Marks. Then again, they do have a favorable matchup that they need to exploit to put additional pressure on C.J. Stroud.
But whether it rains or not, the Jacksonville pass rush must get after Stroud. The 2023 first-round pick is playing some of the best football of his career, so the last thing the Jaguars want is to stymie the Houston running attack but get beat by Stroud.
Simply put, this is a matchup the Jaguars can win regardless of the weather. Sure, they're dealing with some injuries, but they'll have most of their key players against the Texans.
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