Texans Game Day Newsletter 9 Dec 17th Houston_Digital | Page 63
AP Images
the pace. As a team, the 19 interceptions ranks
second in the NFL.
This is a ball-hawking unit that can bait even
the best quarterbacks into bad decisions. Against
Joe Flacco, Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers and
Russell Wilson, the Jaguars combined for 11
interceptions.
After chasing Wilson around the backfi eld all
day, the defensive line added two sacks to their
league-leading total while adding six quarterback
hits.
Even after giving up 24 second-half points last
week, including three scoring drives of two plays
or less, the Jaguars defense stood up when needed
to secure victory with a fi nal drive sack on third
down and a fourth-down stop to get a turnover
on downs.
TEXANS VS. JAGUARS
The Jaguars knocked off the Houston Texans in
Week 1 at NRG Stadium, 29-7. The Texans had
their full assortment of players on opening week,
but since then they’ve lost key contributors: DE
J.J. Watt, LB Whitney Mercilus, and QB Deshaun
Watson just to name the big three.
A tweet on December 5 from Houston Chronicle
Texans beat writer John McClain sums up the
Texans’ season: “In my 38 years covering the NFL,
I’ve never seen a team suffer so many injuries,
especially to key players, as the Texans have this
season. Watt, Mercilus and Watson were just the
tip of the iceberg. Six more went down Sunday,
four more with concussions. They’ve started fi ve
LTs.”
That was before quarterback Tom Savage went out
of last week’s game with a concussion. T.J. Yates
is expected to start in his place this week and
would be the third different quarterback to see
time against the Jaguars in 2017.
The Jaguars ran for 155 yards in the opening week
win, including 100 on 26 carries for Fournette in
his NFL debut. Dante Fowler Jr. returned a fumble
for a touchdown in the second quarter to open a
19-0 lead heading into halftime, and the Jaguars
never looked back in the second half.
The last time the Jaguars swept the season series
against the Texans was in 2013, but a win today
could mean so much more than just a series
sweep.
It could mean a playoff berth for a team continuing
to produce evidence that yes, there is a “new big
dog” in the NFL.