In one of the most stunning upsets this weekend the Jacksonville Jaguars thoroughly dismantled the Texans 29-7 in their home opener. Before I get into the analysis, it must be said that JJ Watt deserves a great deal of praise for the effort on his behalf raising $31M for the people of Houston in the Hurricane Harvey fund.
As for game itself, that was far and away the Texan's highest moment of the day. The Jaguars defense played outstanding registering 10 sacks with new FA signing Calais Campbell responsible for 4 of them. The Texans also did not do themselves any favors by committing 4 turnovers, 3 of which were fumbles. Dante Fowler Jr. took one of those fumbles 53 yards for a touchdown putting Jacksonville in control with a 19-0 lead in the final minute of the first half.
On offense, Leonard Fournette had a strong debut rushing for 100yds and 1TD adding 3 receptions for 24yds. He will need to continue success after Allen Robinson appears to have torn his ACL earlier today. Wide Receivers Allen Hurns and Marquise Lee are expected to step up in his potential absence. The Jaguars were true to their word demphasizing the role of their passing game. Blake Bortles played the role of game manager, passing for just 125yds on 21 attempts. Given the upset, he should remain the starter for the next few weeks minimum. Today's win brings his record on the road to 4-20 now.
For Houston, the problems with their offensive line are apparent. The group allowed a whopping 10 sacks on the afternoon. There may be an extra push by management to end the holdout for starting LT Duane Brown. Tom Savage managed only a paltry 1st half stat line of 62yds passing on 13 attempts and 0TD's along with 2 fumbles. Texans fans began booing Savage loudly at the end of the first half perhaps still scorned from last years Brock Osweiler debacle.
Deshaun Watson played the entire second half with not much better results, passing for 104yds on 23 attempts with 1TD pass and 2 turnovers. DeAndre Hopkins had 7 receptions for 55yds and 1TD on a whopping 16 targets. The Texans second leading receiver today, TE CJ Fiedorowicz left the game with a concussion. The lack of depth with Jalen Strong and Will Fuller V both out showed on Sunday. Strong will return from his suspension in Week 2 at least. RB Lamar Miller was average at best with 13 carries for 65yds with the longest run of the day being 8yds. He added 2 receptions for 31yds but had a limited impact on the game.
Next week the first place Jaguars will try to prove that Week 1 was not a fluke with a home date against division rival Tennessee Titans. One matchup to watch for is how Jags D.C. Todd Wash is able to gameplan to stop the Titans offense that is looking to rebound after a poor showing against Oakland.
The Texans have a quick turnaround traveling to Cincinnati for Thursday night football. Luckily for Houston, the Bengals played even worse than they did today. The Bengals were shutout for the first time in their home opener since 1979 today against the Ravens. QB Andy Dalton had a horrible performance throwing 4INTs and a fumble for good measure. Both teams may consider this matchup a must win.