Marvin Harrison Jr. set to debut for Texans in London against Jaguars, Parker Washington

LONDON (AP) — Plenty of attention will be on Marvin Harrison Jr. when the receiver makes his Houston Texans debut on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.

There’s an unheralded Jacksonville receiver, though, whose been making big plays at key times: Parker Washington.

And especially in London.

Washington caught two touchdown passes from Trevor Lawrence last Sunday in an improbable 19-17 win over the Philadelphia Eagles at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. His leaping, twisting grab in the end zone had given the Jags a fourth-quarter lead.

“He’s a huge playmaker for us,” Lawrence said. “You’ve seen all the different things he can do. He’s great after the catch, he’s physical through contact. He’s made some unbelievable contested catches. He’s good over the middle.

“So, you look at a guy that can do all that, and it opens up a lot for your offense.”

The 5-foot-10 Washington, drafted in 2023 by the Jags in the sixth round pick out of Penn State, leads the team with 22 receptions for 352 yards and four touchdowns.

He also contributes on special teams. Washington returned a punt 96 yards for a touchdown in 2024 against the Patriots at Wembley Stadium, where the Jaguars will “host” the Texans to complete their London doubleheader.

Sunday’s AFC South matchup brings to mind last season’s game in which Houston overcame a 19-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Jags 36-29 with backup quarterback Davis Mills at the helm while CJ Stroud was out injured.

“Obviously, have a tough feeling in our stomachs from the last time we played against these guys,” Jags coach Liam Coen said. ”(We) know that every time that you line up against this team, it’s going to be a fight, it’s going to be a brawl. That’s what’s great about football, that’s what’s great about rivalries.”

After losing in Houston last season, Jacksonville closed out its regular season with eight straight wins.

The Texans were set to arrive in London on Friday morning. They earned their first win of the season last week by beating the Titans 26-3.

“Defensively, the thing that went well for us is we got off the field on third down,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “We took the football away and we stopped the run. We didn’t give up many explosive passes. That was something that was hurting us the first couple weeks.”

Ryans had taken over defensive play-calling duties ahead of the Tennessee game.

Need to know

Houston (1-4) vs. Jacksonville (4-1) at Wembley Stadium.

When/where to watch: Sunday, 9:30 a.m., EDT, NFL Network.

Latest odds: Jaguars by 2 1/2

Against the spread: Houston 1-4, Jacksonville 3-2.

Last week: Texans beat Titans 26-3; Jaguars beat Eagles 19-17.

Last meeting: Texans beat Jaguars 36-29 on Nov. 9, 2025, in Houston.

Series record: Texans lead 32-16.

Matchup to watch

The Jaguars offensive line against Houston’s pass rush. The Jaguars lost starting left tackle Anton Harrison against the Eagles. He will have knee surgery when the team returns home from London. Veteran lineman Walker Little will take his place. Through Week 5, the Texans had the second-most sacks — 18 — in the NFL. Defensive end Will Anderson Jr. leads the NFL with 7 1/2 sacks — including three last week — and 10 tackles for loss this season. Danielle Hunter has three sacks. Lawrence fumbled twice on strip-sacks last week; both were recovered by the Jags.

Stats and stuff

— Trevor Lawrence has thrown at least one touchdown pass in each of his eight London starts for the Jags. That’s the most international starts by a quarterback. His record in London is 5-3.

— Jacksonville committed 13 penalties for 100 yards last week.

— Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud has yet to throw an interception this season.

— Marvin Harrison Jr.’s arrival gives the Texans another big receiver. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Harrison can play opposite star Nico Collins, who is 6-4 and 222 pounds.

— The Texans are tied for the most completions of 20-plus yards in the NFL this season. They have 21, along with the Rams and Bills entering Week 6.

— Houston has had at least one sack in 26 straight games. The Texans had four sacks last week against Tennessee, extending their franchise record for most consecutive games with at least one sack.

— The Jags won back-to-back London games in 2023 — beating the Atlanta Falcons at Wembley and then the Buffalo Bills at Tottenham.

— Jacksonville leads the NFL in rushing defense (63.8 yards per game allowed) and by limiting the Eagles to 22 yards rushing last week became the second team in the Super Bowl era to not allow an opposing player to rush for 40 or more yards in their first five games of a season, joining the 1969 Dallas Cowboys.

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here