The first time the Jacksonville Jaguars faced off against the Houston Texans this year, it didn’t go very well. In the first game of what would prove to be coach Urban Meyer’s only season in Jacksonville, the Jags lost 37-21 as the defense struggled and Trevor Lawrence tossed three interceptions in his debut.
But it’s been 14 weeks since then, and a lot has changed for both teams. The Texans have a new quarterback as Tyrod Taylor, was benched this month. Davis Mills, a third-round rookie out of Stanford, has stepped up, and his rookie season hasn’t gone much better than Lawrence’s. Houston has also since traded one of its best offensive players in running back Mark Ingram II.
Jacksonville, meanwhile, has more personnel continuity (though it is now without receivers D.J. Chark Jr. and Jamal Agnew), but it has made a big picture change. Meyer was fired on Thursday night, and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell will take on the interim role for the final four weeks of the season. Bevell also served as an interim in Detroit for five games last season after the Lions fired coach Matt Patricia.
For the 2-11 Jaguars, a matchup with a fellow 2-11 team in Houston presents one of only two remaining games that seem winnable, the other being against the New York Jets. The Jags will look to triple their win total from a year ago on Sunday, and for those wanting to catch the game at 1 p.m. EST, it will be broadcast locally on CBS within the orange shaded area below, per 506Sports.
As you can see, the matchup between the two worst teams in the AFC isn’t getting broadcast very far beyond the range it is contractually required to. Very few out-of-market areas will get this game, with its coverage primarily restricted to northeast Florida and the area surrounding the city of Houston. A small sliver of southeast Georgia will also receive the game. For the few who will be able to watch it, Andrew Catalon and James Lofton will be on the call.
It’s been a very frustrating season for the Jaguars, and it’s likely not going to get much better. But with a win on Sunday, they could at least avoid a sweep at the hands of a division rival and one of the worst team’s in football while giving the home crowd its second win of the season at TIAA Bank Field. That’s really all the 2021 Jaguars can hope for, at this point.