As the Jacksonville Jaguars prepare to host the Houston Texans in Week 3, we sat down with Scott Barzilla of Battle Red Blog to learn more about the opposing side.
The Texans have lost two close games to two good teams. Is that a fair synopsis of Houston’s 0-2 start, or are there serious lingering issues?
I think more than one thing can be true at the same time. I think the Texans did lose to two playoff teams, so it isn’t time to go running off the cliff yet, but there are some serious lingering issues.
I think this team is overly reliant on the defense being great and it hasn’t been great in the first two weeks. They have been legitimately good so far, but great defenses get off the field. Great defenses force turnovers. They haven’t done that yet this year and have not consistently gotten off the field. There is a path to victory for those kinds of teams, but the fact that we can list them on one hand probably is not confidence-inspiring. This team will eventually need the offense to show up consistently. At least six of their points could be attributed to great special teams plays, so the offense will need to generate more than 13 points on its own to win consistently.
What were expectations for new offensive coordinator Nick Caley entering the season, and how has that side of the ball looked so far?
I think the expectations may have been unrealistic if hindsight is 20/20. I think there was a lot of wishful and magical thinking. Essentially, the problems in 2024 were laid at Bobby Slowik’s feet and the expectation was that Caley would clean up those issues. That obviously hasn’t happened yet. Shockingly, cutting the offensive line budget nearly in half has not created better blocking. New offensive coordinators take time to learn and grow into the job. Realistically, that wasn’t going to happen in week one. There are familiar issues we have seen throughout the last few seasons. The team does not sustain a running game consistently and that puts more pressure on Stroud. Stroud is probably more like most quarterbacks than the elite quarterbacks of the sport. When he has time to throw and a credible running game he can look very good. When he doesn’t have those things then he doesn’t look as good.
The Texans are absolutely loaded on defense. Is there an Achilles’ heel for that unit, or do they seem championship-ready?
Anyone who saw Monday night’s game saw the Achilles heel. The Texans have studs at nearly every level of the defense except the interior of the defensive line. Those guys make plays and are actually adept pass rushers but they are not stout against the run. That means that DeMeco Ryans has to cheat and play more guys in the box in order to stop the run. Fortunately, he has some great cover corners and some solid safeties, but if you can gash the Texans for 4-6 yards per rush then you can neutralize that pass rush at least some. Like any good defense, they are going to get you sometimes, but you can win the game by avoiding the horrible turnovers that often change the complexion of games.
Who’s an under-the-radar player or two that Jaguars fans should watch for on Sunday?
There is probably very little that is a surprise in the division, so I will focus on new faces. Woody Marks made some nice plays on Monday which included a huge catch and run out of the backfield. Nick Chubb did the same. The dynamic pass/run option with those two is intriguing. We did not see Jaylin Noel in the passing game, but he showed us some things in the return game. I imagine there will be a few plays dialed up to get him the football in the passing game. On defense, the primary newcomer is C.J. Gardner-Johnson. He was a ball hawk in Philadelphia, so I imagine we will see that at some point this season.
Do you expect the Texans to cover as 1.5-point underdogs, and do you have a specific player prediction for the game?
I don’t want to touch this spread. It is too early in the season for me to determine if this is a trend or if history will take over. The Texans usually win in Jacksonville, but the first two weeks bring no confidence. FanDuel set the over/under at 43.5 and that is an easy under considering what we have seen the first two weeks. The Texans have produced 23 and 39 total points in their first two games. And while the Jags produced much more than that this week, that was against one of the worst defenses in football. I expect a low-scoring game with plenty of defensive plays on both sides. I like Will Anderson for at least one sack if anyone wants to play an individual bet.
Thanks to Scott for taking the time to answer our questions!
What are your thoughts on Week 3’s matchup, Jaguars fans? Let us know in the comments!
