The Houston Texans take on the Jacksonville Jaguars, seeking to get their first win of the season and rescue an 0-4 start.
To preview the matchup, James Johnson from the Jaguars Wire helps take a look at what to expect from Jacksonville.
Texans Wire: How are Jaguars fans handling 1-3?
James Johnson: Well, of course, Week 1’s win against Indy had everyone excited and they were also upbeat after Week 2 because they hung with the Tennessee Titans despite it being a loss.
However, the last two losses after that (to the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals) have been deflating because they came from two winless teams and two teams who many would argue aren’t as talented as the Jags. With that being the case, many aren’t optimistic coming into Week 5 as Deshaun Watson has had great success against the franchise. At the same time, a win would definitely give some hope because the Jags would be a game away from .500.
TW: How much of a surprise has James Robinson been?
I’m personally not overly shocked. I was well aware of him during the draft process and thought he should’ve been drafted. I really liked his film at Illinois State, and as a result, I named him to the Jags way-too-early 53-man roster directly after the draft. That’s not to say I saw him putting up historic figures, either, but I believed he would end up being a No. 2 tailback at the least. He’s exceeded that bar though and is looking like a Rookie of the Year type of candidate.
However, I’d say the fanbase is a little shocked. Still, it’s the good type of shock as they’ve been long waiting for a top tier rusher since Maurice Jones-Drew.
TW: How much longer are the Jaguars going to hang on to Doug Marrone?
With the way Shad Khan operates, he would probably hold on to Doug Marrone until the end of the year — even if the results are unsatisfactory. He’s a patient owner, and while many fans hate that about him, in the end, it could pay off. What I mean by that is his patience will show the next general manager and head coach that he’s not trigger happy (again, that’s if the current group is fired).
TW: Why is Myles Jack excelling this season?
Myles Jack is playing lights out because weak-side linebacker is a match made in heaven for him. It’s a position that allows him to do what he does best, play out in space, and attack without a lot of thinking. As many are aware, he previously was playing MIKE linebacker and it wasn’t pretty, so the staff decided to add Joe Schobert this offseason, which allowed Jack to go to a more natural position for his skill set.
TW: Is Josh Allen starting to come into his own, or does he have more growing to do?
Well, I’ll say this, he definitely hasn’t been as productive as he was last season. At the same time, the Jags interior defensive line isn’t all that great and hasn’t been getting any push. As a result, it’s made Allen (who actually has a PFF grade of 72.5) look somewhat ineffective. As you’ve seen with the Texans’ defenses of the past, it takes more than one good pass rusher to flourish nowadays.
TW: What is your prediction with score?
I think the Texans win this one when looking at how the Jags’ defense is playing and Deshaun Watson’s record against them. I’m also thinking it will be a shootout though. That said, the Jags have a chance if they control the clock with Robinson, but I’m still going to pick Texans 35-33.
