The Houston Texans finally got a taste of winning football last week. Now comes the hard part, proving it wasn't a one-week thing.
Houston heads across the pond to face the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 18, in an AFC South matchup that could tell us a lot about where this Texans team is headed. Jacksonville enters the game at 4-1, while Houston sits at 1-4 after finally breaking through with an impressive 26-3 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
On paper, Jacksonville has the better record. But records don't always tell the entire story.
The Texans are averaging 340.8 yards per game compared with Jacksonville's 334.8. Houston also owns one of the NFL's most dangerous pass rushes with 18 sacks through five games, second-most in the league.
Houston will be without David Montgomery, Jalen Pitre and Tank Dell in London, so this won't exactly be a full-strength Texans squad. Still, there are three areas where I believe Houston can grab an edge and potentially leave London with its second straight victory.
Houston #Texans Thursday Injury Report for Week 6 vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars in London: pic.twitter.com/W5iL9d1mzM
— Houston Texans PR (@TexansPR) October 15, 2026
1. Unleash Will Anderson Jr. on Jacksonville's Offensive Line
If I'm DeMeco Ryans, this is where my defensive game plan begins and ends.
Get after Trevor Lawrence.
Houston has 18 sacks through five games, and that pass rush is starting to look like the unit Texans fans expected coming into the season. The Texans have also recorded at least one sack in 26 consecutive games.
Now Jacksonville has a problem.
Starting left tackle Anton Harrison suffered a knee injury and is expected to undergo surgery, leaving Walker Little in line to start against Houston.
That's a matchup Will Anderson Jr. needs to attack.
Anderson is coming off a three-sack performance against Tennessee. Houston recorded four sacks overall in that 26-3 win, and that is exactly the type of defensive pressure the Texans need to bring with them to London.
Lawrence has been playing good football. He has thrown for 1,174 yards with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions through five games. Give him time, and he can pick apart a secondary, especially one missing Pitre.
But pressure changes everything. We all know the drill. Make Lawrence uncomfortable. Collapse the pocket. Force him off his spot. Most importantly, make him throw the football before he wants to.
If Houston can turn this into a game where Lawrence spends more time worrying about Anderson coming around the edge than finding Parker Washington downfield, the Texans will have already won one of the biggest battles of the afternoon.
2. C.J. Stroud Has to Continue Playing Clean Football — Now He Gets Marvin Harrison Jr.
This might be the most intriguing part of the entire game. C.J. Stroud enters London having thrown for 1,402 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions through five games.
Zero.
That's huge because Jacksonville's defense has been taking the football away. The Jaguars have six interceptions and a plus-five turnover differential, while Houston is sitting at plus-three.
This is not the week for Stroud to suddenly start forcing passes.
Marvin Harrison Jr. is expected to make his Texans debut in London after being acquired from Arizona, reuniting him with his former Ohio State quarterback. Harrison gives Houston a 6-foot-3 target opposite the 6-foot-4 Nico Collins.
That's where things could get interesting. Nick Caley needs to let Stroud cook a little.
Get him comfortable early with quick throws, move the pocket and then start attacking vertically once Jacksonville begins creeping toward the line.
If Stroud protects the football while hitting two or three explosive plays, Houston's offense could make this game uncomfortable for Jacksonville.
3. Houston Cannot Allow Jacksonville to Control the Game on the Ground
This is the one that worries me.
Jacksonville has more balance offensively than Houston right now. The Jaguars are averaging 114.2 rushing yards per game compared with Houston's 79.0, with Bhayshul Tuten leading Jacksonville with 349 rushing yards through five games.
Houston cannot allow Jacksonville to establish the run and dictate the tempo.
Why?
Because that neutralizes Houston's biggest advantage, the pass rush.
Anderson and company are at their best when it's second-and-long or third-and-long and everybody in the stadium knows Lawrence has to throw.
If Jacksonville is consistently facing second-and-5 and third-and-2, Houston can't unleash its pass rush the same way.
That's why the Texans have to win first down.
Stuff the run. Force Lawrence into obvious passing situations and let that defensive front go hunting.
My Two Pennies
I'm not ready to say the Texans have completely turned things around because of one 26-3 win over Tennessee.
But I will say this, Houston has an opportunity in London to completely change the conversation around this season.
A 1-4 team looks like it's heading toward a lost season. But, a 2-4 team that just knocked off a 4-1 division rival and has won two straight?
Now we're talking about momentum. The formula isn't complicated.
Pressure Trevor Lawrence. Let C.J. Stroud continue protecting the football while taking calculated shots with Nico Collins and Marvin Harrison Jr. And don't let Jacksonville's running game dictate the afternoon.
Houston is shorthanded. Montgomery is out. Pitre is out. Dell isn't making the trip. But the Texans still have Stroud, They still have Collins. They've added Harrison. And most importantly, they have a defensive front capable of making life miserable for Jacksonville.
The Jaguars may be 4-1, but I don't see this as some impossible matchup for Houston.
If the Texans bring the same defensive intensity they showed against Tennessee and Stroud continues playing smart football, Houston has a legitimate opportunity to leave Wembley Stadium with its second straight win.
And maybe, just maybe, London becomes the place where the Texans' 2026 season finally starts turning around.