The Houston Texans' Week 6 contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London is right around the corner.
And it's undoubtedly a massive game for the Texans to take on. Already in a 1-4 hole on the season and down three games in the AFC South to this Jaguars team, claiming a victory here would make for a huge boost in both confidence and momentum after a rocky start to the 2026 campaign.
However, for the Texans to win their Week 6 test against Jacksonville, there's a select few matchups they'll have to take advantage of for that 2-4 record to become a reality.
Let's break down three of those key matchups for the Texans that'll be worth keeping an eye on across Sunday's game, and could be the difference between a win and a loss:
DE Danielle Hunter vs. OT Walker Little
The Jaguars will be forced to play this one against the Texans without their usual starting left tackle, Anton Harrison, who's just been placed on injured reserve following the knee injury he suffered last weekend against the Philadelphia Eagles.
That means two things. For one, Walker Little is due to start as the Jaguars' left tackle; an experienced backup with starting experience for Jacksonville, but not quite the talent that Harrison is.
Secondly, though, the road for Danielle Hunter to have a big day against the Jaguars defense might be a little bit easier going against a backup like Little as opposed to a more consistent starter in Harrison.
It was just last season these two faced off in Week 10 when Hunter had a career-day logging 3.5 sacks, paired with Little also starting upfront in that matchup. Perhaps the stage could be set for a similar performance, which would be a big boost to their chances of landing win number two on the year.
WR Nico Collins vs. DB Travis Hunter
Since Nico Collins has returned to the Texans' lineup from his hamstring strain suffered earlier in the season, he's been all that Houston's offense has needed to get back on track from a rocky start.
But in this game, the Texans will have a bit of a challenge in terms of what the Jaguars' secondary brings to the table––specifically with second-year defensive back Travis Hunter, who's been more involved and more comfortable as a full-time contributor on the defense as a boundary corner.
If Collins can continue to be a strong No. 1 option for Stroud and overcome what'll be his toughest individual matchup of his 2026 campaign so far, the road to victory becomes a whole lot easier to imagine. But doing so might be a bit easier said than done.
QB C.J. Stroud vs. DEs Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker
It was tough to pick out just one of the Jaguars' top-tier defensive ends as the guy to watch in this game. So we'll just highlight both as names to keep a close eye on–– particularly as it relates to getting pressure on Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud.
The Texans' pass protection has been relatively stable through the past couple of weeks. Stroud has been taken down for two sacks a piece in both Weeks 4 and 5, and in the process, he's performed at about as good a level as we've seen throughout his career despite a 1-4 record.
However, the Jaguars' talent off the edge might be the toughest task the Texans' offensive line has seen so far this year. Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker have combined for 3.5 sacks on the year, and Jacksonville hasn't lost a game so far this year when at least one of them records 0.5 sacks in a day.
So for this scoring attack to remain consistent from start to finish, it'll rely on not only Aireontae Ersery and Trent Brown to continue holding their own in pass protection, but also for Stroud to remain composed and keep up the strong start to the season he's seen thus far.
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