At the beginning of the season, no one would have expected the Houston Texans to be a game behind the Jacksonville Jaguars for the top of the AFC South, but here we are.
Not only is Houston a game away from Jacksonville, but it won the first head-to-head between the teams in dominant fashion Week 3. The Texans traveled to Duval and handed the Jaguars a 37-17 loss.
Now, the Jags have a chance to even the series and strengthen their hold on the top of the AFC South, but they’ll have to go through a feisty Texans team to do so.
Here are five Texans players who could cause problems for the Jaguars in Week 12:
QB C.J. Stroud
The Jaguars’ game against the Texans could largely come down to quarterback play: Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence vs Houston’s C.J. Stroud.
Last time, Stroud won.
In Week 3, Stroud finished the game with 20 completions on 30 attempts for 280 yards and two touchdowns. Lawrence didn’t have an awful day, but Stroud’s was enough to help the Texans win by 20 points.
Stroud has played well this year in and out of structure, but Jacksonville needs to do all it can to throw him off. He’s got 17 touchdown and only five interceptions, so if he makes a mistake, the Jaguars need to take advantage because they might not get another opportunity.
WR Tank Dell
Rookie wide receiver Tank Dell has quickly become Stroud’s partner in crime. Along with the coolest touchdown celebration in the league, the pair hasn’t taken long to develop tremendous chemistry.
Dell’s Week 3 game against Jacksonville was a breakout game, and he’s continued playing well since then. The former Houston Cougars receiver had five catches for 145 yards and a touchdown in the teams’ first meeting.
Now Dell is sitting at 42 catches for 659 yards and six touchdowns on the season. Dell is a killer in short range, but he also always has the potential to break a big play. The Jaguars can’t allow him to torch them deep the way he did in September.
RB Devin Singletary
Running back Devin Singletary wasn’t expected to be the lead back for Houston this year, but Dameon Pierce has struggled and Singletary has stepped up in his place.
After a slow start to the year, he’s playing his best football right now. He had 41 yards on nine rushes in Week 3, but 150 rushing yards and a touchdown two weeks ago and 112 rushing yards and a touchdown last week.
Singletary averaged 4.6 yards per carry the last time he played Jacksonville, which would be dangerous if he could keep it up with a higher volume of carries.
LB Blake Cashman
Blake Cashman is putting together a strong season in his first year with DeMeco Ryans. He currently has a Pro Football Focus grade of 87.3, which is one of the highest marks at the position.
He has 72 total tackles and two sacks this year, but his best game of the year came against the Jaguars. In Week 3, he was responsible for two takeaways when he got his only interception so far this year and also recovered a fumble.
Cashman doesn’t usually thrive in coverage, but Jacksonville can’t allow him to create turnovers again.
LB Jonathan Greenard
Like Cashman, there isn’t much flashy with edge rusher Jonathan Greenard’s game. He’s a productive player, who’s done a good job getting to the quarterback this year.
Greenard isn’t a game wrecker, but he’s always a danger to get to opposing team’s quarterbacks. The former Gator has seven sacks this year, putting him on pace for a career-best total.
Depending on how many reps he gets lined up across from the inexperienced Anton Harrison, Greenard could get to Trevor Lawrence a couple times.
