The Jacksonville Jaguars will enter Week 5 in desperate need of a spark after losing three consecutive games. If they are to salvage their season and garner some momentum, they will need to acquire a victory Sunday against their divisional rivals in the Houston Texans, who have a 23-13 all-time record against them.

The Texans will come into Sunday’s game also needing some momentum as they ended Quarter 1 of the season winless. That resulted in the firing of their coach Bill O’Brien, making them the first team in the NFL to move on from a head man in 2020.

To discuss the upcoming matchup against the Texans and Jags, we sat down with our comrade Mark Lane of Texans Wire briefly and here are five burning questions he was able to provide answers for:

Jags Wire: The firing of Bill O’Brien seems to have alleviated some stress from the Texans’ camp and may lead to an energetic team Sunday. Do you think that’s a fair assessment? Also, how does the fanbase feel now?

Mark Lane: The fan base is ecstatic. There is a renewed energy definitely among Houston sports fans, even though it’s illogical because they’re 0-4 and probably won’t make the playoffs. They remind me of the Romanian people after Ceausescu was deposed in 1990.

The players are also loving it and things have started to relax around NRG Stadium. Chairman and CEO Cal McNair says he wants to see the team have fun again, and he may see that. Whether that leads to wins, that’s doubtful because their inability to stop the run, for instance, had nothing to do with Bill O’Brien.

JW: The Jags (at the end of the season) could be in the same boat as the Texans in terms of firing their staff. That said, who are some realistic general manager and coaching candidates for Houston in your eyes?

ML: Everyone is going to say Eric Bieniemy from the Kansas City Chiefs, but I think the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is a good candidate. He previously worked with the organization. He knows what to expect. He’s also a defensive minded coach and could leave Tim Kelly alone to manage the offense with Deshaun Watson.

As far as general managers are concerned, I think Will McClay, the personnel boss with the Dallas Cowboys, is an option. If they want to continue to be Patriots South, they’ll look at Nick Caserio.

JW: Do you think Romeo Crennel could maybe get this team into wildcard contention?

ML: Yes, but only because of the added playoff team per conference this season. He went 2-1 with the Kansas City Chiefs as an interim in 2011, even beating the 13-0 Green Bay Packers in his first game. The players love Crennel and they will feed off of that.

Houston also isn’t a “bad” 0-4 as they still have all of their division games remaining. Let’s say they go 5-1 in the division, which could be possible given they’ve been 4-2 the last two seasons. They’re 5-5. You’re telling me they can’t beat the Detroit Lions? You’re telling me they can’t beat the Cincinnati Bengals? You’re telling me they can’t beat the Chicago Bears?

Now you’re at eight wins. Steal one from Green Bay, New England, or Cleveland, and it’s a 9-7 finish. They may have hurt themselves by dropping three AFC games though.

JW: Who are some unknowns to watch out for Sunday on the Texans’ roster?

ML: Watch out for tight end Jordan Akins. He is a master at getting yards after the catch. Defensive tackle P.J. Hall, a former Oakland Raiders 2018 second-round pick, is a local kid from Sam Houston State, and has started to come into his own with the Texans. Though he hasn’t made much noise since Week 1, outside linebacker Jacob Martin is another one to watch out for.

JW: What are your score predictions for the game?

ML: Houston doesn’t look incompetent and finally starts to get their takeaways. Gardner Minshew and James Robinson are able to keep pace with the Texans’ offense. It isn’t ugly like Week 2 last year, nor is it a dominant performance like Week 9 of last year. Houston gets their first win of the season with a 31-27 win.