The Jaguars won the AFC South last season by winning their last eight regular-season games and finished a game ahead of the Texans, who won their last nine regular-season games. The teams have split the season series three of the last four seasons, and their last five games have been decided by a score or less.
The teams also have split the last four AFC South titles. The Jaguars won the South in 2022 and last season, with the Texans winning in 2023 and 2024.
The Jaguars beat the Texans, 17-10, in Jacksonville last season. The Texans rallied from a 19-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Jaguars, 36-29, in Houston – their last loss before their season-ending winning streak.
“We had two really tight games against them,” Coen said. “We obviously have a tough feeling in our stomachs from the last time we played against these guys. We know every time 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. You have a level of respect for each other. You know any given Sunday anything can happen, especially in rivalry-type games.”
While Jaguars players and coaches spoke last last season about the loss to the Texans being a turning point, Lawrence said that game “isn’t something we really talk about at all” this season. The Jaguars went 5-1 in the division last season, with the lone loss to the Texans in Houston.
“We’re past that now,” Lawrence said Wednesday. “This is a new year, new teams on both sides. We’re trying to put together a good plan to try to beat these guys this year.”