Not long ago, the Houston Texans were a pall over the conscience of Texans faithful, a tremendous disappointment of a start to the regular season, and bordering on franchise infamy. Today, following their first win of the season and a blockbuster trade that reunites QB C.J. Stroud with collegiate teammate WR Marvin Harrison Jr., the Texans are the HOT once again! Oh yeah!
On top of that, the Texans released an encouraging injury report on Wednesday that detailed multiple players return to participation: S Ja’Marcus Ingram (limited), LB Henry To’oTo’o (limited), and WR Tank Dell (full), who may be nearing a return to the field for the first time in nearly two years. S M.J. Stewart and RT Braden Smith also returned to practice last week, meaning the Texans will be significantly closer to full strength for their week six game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. While the Texans will still be missing some key pieces come Sunday (RB David Montgomery and S Jalen Pitre), they’ll appreciate the extra roster depth that joined them on the flight into the United Kingdom on Thursday, where they’ll face off against the Jags at Wembley Stadium in London at 8:30AM CST Sunday morning.
The Texans are currently listed as 2.5-point underdogs on FanDuel. Honestly, considering the Jaguars’ excellent start to the regular season, these odds paint a favorable picture for Houston. The bookies are expecting this game to be a close one, and if any of the several Texans players returning from injury can contribute right away, they may just pull an upset in the Jaguars’ “home away from home” in London. Though, despite the general optimism surrounding Houston’s offense, FanDuel still expects Houston’s first drive to end in a punt. That won’t stop me from placing some lofty predictions on the Texans offense, though!
Prediction 1: Texans WR Marvin Harrison Jr. will have not one, but TWO touchdown receptions!
While the trade for Harrison was very exciting, the reality of it all has left the Texans fanbase split. Some are in love with this trade and think this will launch the Texans back into playoff contention, and others think this was a waste of 2027 draft capital that won’t solve any of Houston’s most pressing issues. I personally am still a bit on the fence on the decision overall, but as for right now, I am ALL IN on Marvin Harrison Jr. lighting up this Jaguars defense in the red zone. One of Harrison’s best traits coming out of college was his ability to get seperation in the endzone, using his footwork and length to find a way open at the perfect time for his quarterback. Texans QB C.J. Stroud even spoke of Harrison’s abilities during the 2024 NFL Draft when he was selected fourth overall by the Arizona Cardinals:
”…I’m telling you, [Harrison] like, does this thing, where like…before the ball gets to him, he’ll like, move his body suddenly, and a dude will like…the DBs will go to his inside hip and he’ll shake out. Like he feels guys behind him…My big challenge…is the offensive coordinator…just find some ways to get him one-on-one. Find ways to get him to show his route-running. And not even show it, but just dominate in it.” – C.J. Stroud
Something tells me Stroud’s opinion on Harrison is just as high now as it was during this 2024 NFL Draft clip, and is currently pounding the table for Nick Caley to scheme up some one-on-one opportunities for Harrison Jr. for his Texans debut. The Jaguars will do what they can to give Stroud muddy looks in coverage, but with three of their top four cornerbacks nursing injuries and listed as questionable as of Thursday, I expect their defense to find it difficult to cover a savvy receiver like Harrison Jr.
Prediction 2: Will Anderson Jr. will have another three-sack game!
A few weeks ago, Battle Red Blog writer Mike Bullock predicted Will Anderson Jr. would get three sacks on Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys in week four. While that prediction did not end up coming true that Sunday, it very much did the following week, so Mike can credit himself for not necessarily being wrong, but just ahead of the curve. Well, I’m going to take a note from him, and I’ll also predict a three-sack performance from Will Anderson Jr.!
Anderson has firmly entrenched himself as one the very best pass-rushers in the NFL, but this year, he seems to be breaching even further into exceptional territory. Five games into the season and he’s already tallied 7.5 sacks, 10 TFLs, 27 tackles, a forced fumble, a pass deflection, and a seemingly infinite number of pressures. Some of his best work came late in Houston’s victory last week against the Tennessee Titans, where he tallied 3.0 sacks in the second half and practically slammed the door on the Tennessee Titans as he kicked them down into the AFC South’s cellar. When he’s on, he is truly a game-wrecking defender.
Will Anderson’s dominance alone isn’t why I expect him to have another great game, though. Another reason for my bullish stance on him entering this game in particular is because of the Jaguars situation as tackle. Starting LT Anton Harrison departed the Jaguars vs. Eagles game last Sunday in the third quarter with a right knee injury, which will require arthroscopic knee surgery. While it is still unknown if this surgery will be season-ending or not, it will certainly be knocking Harrison out of the starting lineup this Sunday, which means the Jaguars starting tackles will likely be Walker Little on the left side and Cole Van Lanen on the right side. Both players are still good tackles that have plenty of recent starting experience with the Jaguars, so it won’t be easy pickings for Will Anderson, but that’s what will make his three-sack game even more impressive!
I think this will be the game where Anderson’s inner super saiyan emerges and just dominates the game from start to finish. He and DE Danielle Hunter combined for 4.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles on Jaguars’ QB Trevor Lawrence in their last meeting – the remarkable 36-29 comeback victory led by QB Davis Mills – and I expect both to do a similar amount of damage this time around. Will Anderson is already FanDuel’s betting favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year this season at +120, but another three-sack performance here would push him to over 10 sacks and possibly into MVP discussion.
Prediction 3: Texans 27, Jaguars 24
I’m a little nervous with this prediction considering Houston’s recent track record in one-score games, but I’m going out on a limb here and predicting that the Texans will overcome the Jaguars by chewing the clock on the last drive of the game and then by kicking a long game-winning field goal as time expires, not unlike Jaguars’ kicker Cam Little’s heroic field goal in the final seconds of Jacksonville’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles. This time, however, the Jaguars will be on the losing side of the field goal, and they will have to suffer with Ka’imi Fairbairn talking about how much he loves England or soccer or whatever during the postgame press conference this Sunday.
And there you have it! I think the Texans are going to get a monster game from the newly acquired Marvin Harrison Jr. as the Jaguars continue to struggle to find consistency in their pass defense, Will Anderson Jr. will make a few big plays in the backfield to stymie any Trevor Lawrence comeback gambit, and Ka’imi Fairbairn will get the chance to ice the game away in front of a brutally British crowd. And the best part: I think the Texans will cover that 2.5 point spread! Gimme those Texans for another win!
What do you think, though? Are my predictions a bit too bullish on Marvin Harrison Jr. or Will Anderson Jr.? Do you think the Texans and C.J. Stroud will build on the momentum from last week, or will they flounder to the Jaguars and drop to a lowly 1-5? The last time the Texans played in Wembley stadium was in week nine of the 2019 season, when they defeated the Jaguars 26-3. A dominating performance like that may not be in the cards for Sunday, but a dramatic, last second victory sure will be! Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below!
Brought to you by FanDuel. Winning is undefeated.
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