The Jacksonville Jaguars welcome the Houston Texans to EverBank Stadium on Sunday as they look to bounce back from a painful loss. Here are three matchups to keep an eye on:
Brian Thomas Jr. vs Derek Stingley Jr.
It’s been a rough start to 2025 for Brian Thomas.
Fresh off the back of a 1,300 yard rookie season, Thomas has not looked like his usual Pro Bowl
self during the early going of the season. After catching just four of twelve targets against the Carolina Panthers in Week 1, Thomas followed that up with just one reception against the Cincinnati Bengals – not to mention the painful 4th down drop at the goalline which ultimately cost the Jags the game. Two games does not eradicate the tape from last year nor diminish the talent Jacksonville’s star receiver possesses. But they will be hopeful that he can find his feet quickly; especially facing a divisional rival for the first time this season on Sunday.
The Texans haven’t had the most encouraging of starts to 2025 either, already enduring losses to the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In both cases however their defense looked fairly stout – and nobody on that side of the ball has been more impressive than Derek Stingley. The All-Pro cornerback suffered a hip injury in Week 1 shadowing Davante Adams, briefly leaving the game and entering the blue tent. He was able to return, and was even more dominant against the Bucs – erasing the usually formidable Mike Evans from the game. No doubt Stingley will be tasked with doing a similar job against Thomas on Sunday; if the Jaguars receiver can make an impact, it bodes well for the entire offense.
Travis Hunter vs Jayden Higgins
How about some rookie on rookie action?
This is a matchup that may not have been as important had both teams not been suffering from some key injuries. The Texans have issues at receiver, with both Christian Kirk and Braxton Berrios limited all week with hamstring ailments. Neither are looking likely to feature on Sunday, meaning Kirk will not be able to go up against his former employers. Meanwhile, Jarrian Jones’ continued absence in the Jags secondary also means the Jags will be moving things around at corner too.
What all this should mean is us getting to see Jayden Higgins compete with Travis Hunter. Higgins, a second round selection for Houston in this year’s draft, has yet to really announce himself to the league with just three catches and no touchdowns this year so far. He’s a talented perimeter receiver though, and the Jaguars will need to make sure they are wary of him as the defense inevitably gives increased focus to WR1 Nico Collins. Hunter, who has seen more reps in practice on defense since Jones went down, will likely be the man tasked with covering him. We saw this increased usage last weekend, and Hunter was certainly not a liability – even including the bogus pass interference call on the final drive that tipped the scales in the Bengals’ favor. Keeping Higgins quiet will be a big win for the defense in a game that is almost always a close affair.
Liam Coen vs DeMeco Ryans
Sunday should be a battle of astute offensive and defensive minds. True, the Jaguars offensive coordinator is Grant Udinski and the Texans defensive coordinator is Matt Burke. But, when it comes to gameday at least, we know these two units are led by their head coaches. Burke has been in situ since DeMeco Ryans took over in Houston in early 2023, and whilst he actually holds play calling duties for the Texans, Ryans has final oversight. Meanwhile for Jacksonville, this is undoubtedly Liam Coen’s offense and he’s the one in Trevor Lawrence’s ear each play.
Ryans has tenure on his side, and his defense looks a well-oiled machine, shipping just 34 points so far this season against pretty good offenses. It’s been a difficult unit to get the better of his two years in charge, ranking near the top of the league for turnovers, pressure and points allowed. Coen’s effect on Lawrence and co. is a work in progress, and you can’t expect to see a transformation after just two games. But it will be interesting to see how he goes about attacking the Texans on Sunday. I’m looking forward to seeing halftime adjustments in particular as these two units feel each other out. No doubt Coen will want to establish the run with Travis Etienne getting off to a hot start in 2025. Will that be possible against a seven man front that includes Will Anderson, Sheldon Rankins, Danielle Hunter et al? It’s an intriguing matchup; we’ll know a hell of a lot more about this year’s version of the Jags and their divisional hopes come Sunday evening.
