Texans vs. Jaguars
Texans
[gfycat data_id=”RespectfulHospitableDuck”]
Is this team for real or fraud?
It would seem the Houston Texans have been given an abundance of good fortune. One part of that is the fact that QB Blake Bortles seems to have forgotten everything he learned last year and Houston had the pleasure of facing him at the perfect time – the Jaguars have close to nothing in the running game, the passing game is at the mercy of, now, two quarterbacks who simply cannot carry a team and a defense that has struggled to stop much of anything in recent weeks. On the Houston side of things, they finally got 100 yards from RB Lamar Miller. You’d have to go back to week 13 of the 2016 season which was the last time Miller crossed the century mark – pretty amazing. QB Deshaun Watson finished with less than 200 yards and the leading receiver, Will Fuller V finished with 68 yards. I’d say you have to tip your cap to the Jags’ defense for standing strong, but I’d also have to be skeptical as to how an offense doesn’t take advantage of a defense who’s been on the field for as long as Jacksonville did. The verdict after seven weeks: for real, but fortunate to be in such a weak division.
Receiving Corps takes a hit
Other than the insane one-handed catch WR Deandre Hopkins had against all-world CB Jaylen Ramsey, there wasn’t much going on for the Texans’ pass-catchers. The bad news, however, was WR Keke Coutee re-injured his hamstring and will miss Thursday’s contest against the Dolphins. I suspect Sammie Coates to step in and provide some playmaking ability downfield. In the season preview, I highlighted his size and speed. It has yet to manifest itself this year, but if I were calling the plays, I’d dial up some schemes to utilize that speed to either clear out space for Fuller and Hopkins or simply to take shots against a very beatable Dolphin defense.
This team goes as far as the defense wills them
The Houston defense has been lights out during this four-game winning streak. They racked up two fumble recoveries, and interception and four sacks. They got a bit healthier with the return of S Andre Hal, who recently won his battle with cancer (HELLYEAH). We know they can get to the quarterback and it seems they have gotten creative with FS Tyrann Mathieu who likes to get involved near the line of scrimmage, too. If they can continue to stifle the running game for opponents, like in this one, they’ll be looking pretty come December. The leading rusher for Jacksonville was Bortles with 30 yards – that’ll do.
-Joe Hanretty
Jaguars
A presumptive Super Bowl favorite, the Jaguars are now looking up at the Texans and Titans, both of which have wins against the Jags. The offense was sloppy yet again, plagued by bad situational awareness, drops, and fumbles and the defense bent too much for them to tolerate. At 3-4, the Jaguars need fewer games like this in order to compete.
Bortles Benched
It was only a matter of time, but Blake Bortles was benched to end the game. There were a couple of points where Bortles looked competent during the game, especially with his own legs. However, Bortles also fumbled the ball twice deep in Jaguars territory, allowing the Texans to pick up 10 easy points. When he was throwing the ball, Blake Bortles wasn’t putting the ball where receivers could do anything with it, often leading receivers too much or throwing behind them. The further from the line, the less touch Bortles showed with the ball. Cody Kessler was given the reins of the offense after Bortles second fumble, and he once again demonstrated why he’ll never be anything more than a backup. Kessler also fumbled deep in Jacksonville territory, but that one wasn’t lost. Additionally, Kessler would only ever throw short or at receivers who were about to get crushed by a Houston defender.
Skill!? Players
Blake Bortles was bad, but he wasn’t particularly helped by his receivers. Keelan Cole led the charge with at least three dropped passes, though it wasn’t like the passes were necessarily on target. Donte Moncrief was the winner of the relevant Jaguars wide receiver trophy this week, showing the ability to catch the ball and get just enough yardage to keep the drive alive. His 24 yard reception was primarily a catch and run, otherwise he saw a lot of targets near the line of scrimmage. Dede Westbrook was largely silent on offense, but his punt return onto the Texans side of the field in the third was probably the only reason the Jaguars scored. T. J. Yeldon was the recipient of the only score of the game for Jacksonville, reaching several feet behind himself while moving in the opposite direction to corral an errant TD throw by Kessler. Yeldon did a good job running the ball on his 12 carries, but offered no explosion. It wasn’t all good for Yeldon, ad a pass off of his hands (several feet away from his core) was deflected into the hands of a Texan for an interception off of Kessler.
Near Return to Form for the Defense
The Jacksonville Jaguars defense spent most of Sunday afternoon in the Houston backfield during passing plays. Amazingly, the Jaguars only managed one sack, despite harassing Deshaun Watson all day long. Watson made several good throws throughout the day, in spite of the pressure, highlighted by a deep pass to DeAndre Hopkins along the left sideline that Jalen Ramsey couldn’t have made a play on if he tried (credit Hopkins for the amazing one-handed catch). The problem for Jacksonville was their inability to stop the run, allowing Lamar Miller to gain 100 yards (through some holes big enough to fit a minivan through). The defense gave up 20 points, but 10 of those seemed inevitable thanks to the play of Blake Bortles. In the end, the Jaguars defense looked like it was returning to form against a division opponent, which is hopefully a good sign for later weeks.
In the end, the NFL is a quarterback league and Blake Bortles was intent on losing this Sunday.
-David Fenko