HOUSTON — The Jacksonville Jaguars fired Urban Meyer as head coach, and promoted offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell to fill in the vacancy against the Houston Texans on Sunday.
For a team in significant turmoil following the departure of Meyer, the Texans may have a prominent opportunity to add another win to their 2-11 record. But Houston could receive the best version of the 2021 Jaguars at TIAA Bank, given the high motivation Jacksonville will have following Meyer’s jettison.
It’s what wide receiver Brandin Cooks experienced in October of 2020 following the Texans’ decision to part ways with former coach Bill O’Brien.
“I think the biggest thing that I remember was understanding that we still had a job to do,” Cooks said following practice on Thursday. “It was just about us and sticking together and keeping the train moving. That was the biggest thing that I could remember during that time.”
The Texans fired O’Brien four games into the 2020 campaign after a 0-4 start. In their first game following O’Brien’s release, the Texans recorded a 30-14 victory over the Jaguars at NRG Stadium — with Romeo Crennel serving as interim coach.
Although the Texans finished the season with a 4-12 record, Houston’s first game following the dismissal of O’Brien demonstrated the renewed focus a team has as a result of an in-season coaching change.
In the most recent example of a coaching departure, the Las Vegas Raiders emerged victorious 34-32 over the Denver Broncos in Week 6 after Jon Gruden resigned.
Similarly coaches missing games due to COVID has its own dynamic, as the Dallas Cowboys beat the New Orleans Saints in Week 13 without Mike McCarthy, and the Cleveland Browns won a playoff game last year without coach Kevin Stefanski.
“I think it’s just energy because everyone is counting you out at that point,” Cooks said. “You almost have a little bit more of that underdog mentality because you’re not with the head coach you started with. It just energizes this team a little more.”
In addition to playing a team that recently canned their coach, Cooks has not omitted the challenges of the Jaguars’ on-field defensive talent.
“I think they’ve been playing at a much higher level than the last time we played them,” he said. “Those guys are flying around. That front seven, those guys on the back end led by Shaq (Shaquill Griffin) and Cam (Robinson), you know those guys can run. You talk about Josh Allen and (Myles Jack) flying around making plays. I think they are playing at a much higher level than they were Week 1.”