JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars just have a few more hours to wait.
The Jaguars are set to clash with the Houston Texans in London in Week 6 in a critical early-season AFC South battle, a matchup that has been anticipated since the Jaguars' loss to London in Week 10 last season.
We have discussed the hurdles and challenges the Jaguars have to clear ahead of the Texans matchup. Now, we will discuss why the Jaguars will topple their AFC South rival and leave London with their third fourth win in a row.
Trevor Lawrence's Momentum
While the Texans have a talented quarterback in their own right in C.J. Stroud, the Jaguars have the quarterback advantage once again entering Sunday. Trevor Lawrence is, for my money, playing the best football of his career this season. His decision-making and accuracy are improved from even last year's hot streak when he was an MVP finalist, and he is making a few jaw-dropping touchdowns every single game.
With the way Lawrence is playing right now, I do not think even the talented Texans' defense is going to derail him. 4-of-5 foes the Jaguars have played this season have a defense that ranks in the top-half of the league in EPA/Play, which means he has played some solid units this year and has still impressed weekly. Lawrence will be the difference-maker for the Jaguars entering the first battle with the Texans in 2026.
The Stakes Are Clear
I think the Jaguars will have their focus right entering the week. The Jaguars are a team that has taken on the personality of head coach Liam Coen and, more often than not, the Jaguars have entered each week ready to play. The Jaguars have rarely been out-coached or out-hustled, which goes a long way in rivalry games that are already about to go down to the wire to begin with. Add in the natural stakes of a battle with the Texans, and I think the Jaguars will have the right mindset to not disappoint.
Now, one could use this argument every week to try to project the Jaguars to go 17-0 and win every single game ... but the difference is these are the Texans. The Jaguars clearly firmly remember last year's failure in Houston. They also clearly know that, above all else, the Texans are the team in the AFC South that has constantly been linked to the race for first-place alongside Jacksonville. This is a big game and big moment for the franchise, and I do not believe they will fail to meet it.
Texans Will Have to Be One-Dimensional
The Jaguars do a great job every single week of making teams one-dimensional, and the last two weeks alone have seen it happen in a big way as the Jaguars have held both foes to just 17 points. Against the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles, the Jaguars saw 28 rushes and 94 passes. Those carries went for just 37 yards, an average of 1.32 yards. Teams have barely tried to run the ball on the Jaguars lately, instead turning to the passing game in a big way.
With the Texans' running game in complete shambles, the Jaguars should have little issue putting this game completely in C.J. Stroud's hands. Stroud has played well this season, but the Texans do not want to turn this game intro a dropback-heavy affair with the state of their offensive line, but that is exactly where this seems headed.
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