The Jacksonville Jaguars will be taking on the Houston Texans in their second London game, and there's a lot riding on this game, despite it only being Week 6.
The Jaguars are currently atop the AFC South at 4-1, while the Texans won their first game of the season last week against the dismal Tennessee Titans. A victory over Houston on Sunday would give Jacksonville a massive lead over the rest of the division -- and there's good reason to be optimistic; the Texans have not been playing well so far this season... until Week 5, at least.
Last week, Houston appeared to play more to their 2025 form, which could mean trouble for the Jaguars. A loss wouldn't end Jacksonville's playoff hopes, nor signal doom for the season, but it would bring a quick
stop to the momentum they've been building. It would also almost surely bring back the questions from analysts over how legitimate this team really is; after all, the Texans were regularly ranked higher than the Jaguars throughout the offseason, even though Jacksonville was the reigning AFC South champion.
Losing to Houston would reignite that argument. And the Texans will be going into this game wanting to prove that their 0-4 start was not a sign of how bad this team is; they will have something to prove and a chip on their shoulder. The Jaguars can't afford to be cavalier on Sunday.
Here are six keys to victory over Houston.
Protect Trevor Lawrence
Anton Harrison is out, Walker Little is stepping in as his replacement, and Houston’s pass rush is coming off a dominant performance led by Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter. Houston’s front can wreck the entire game if Jacksonville gets stuck in obvious passing situations. The offensive line has not been the most reliable so far this season; now more than ever is the time for them to step up and keep Lawrence protected.
Stay balanced offensively
Jacksonville cannot let this turn into 40-plus dropbacks against Anderson and Hunter. Bhayshul Tuten needs enough success on early downs to keep the Texans from simply teeing off. Even four-yard runs matter here because they keep the whole playbook open.
Make C.J. Stroud uncomfortable
Stroud has done a very good job protecting the football so far, which makes pressure especially important. Jacksonville doesn’t necessarily need five sacks, but it does need Hines-Allen, Travon Walker, and the rest of the front to keep the pressure high and force him to throw before Collins and Harrison can work deeper routes.
Don’t let Houston’s new weapons create explosive plays
Marvin Harrison Jr. is expected to debut alongside Nico Collins, so Jacksonville’s corners have to prevent Houston from becoming a much more explosive passing offense than it has been so far this season. Harrison’s familiarity with Stroud from Ohio State makes him more dangerous than a typical player arriving midweek.
Stop beating themselves
Jacksonville has committed 13 penalties in back-to-back games, repeatedly putting itself behind the chains, erasing big plays, and making red-zone possessions harder than they needed to be. They survived against Cincinnati and Philadelphia, but against a defense like Houston’s, committing that many penalties is asking for trouble.
Attack Houston’s weakened secondary
Jalen Pitre is out, which means rookie Kamari Ramsey could take over at the nickel role. That seems like an obvious opportunity for Liam Coen to get Parker Washington and Brenton Strange working the middle of the field and force the Texans' replacement DBs to tackle and communicate.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Six keys to a Jaguars victory over the Texans in Week 6
