JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jaguars have a chance to keep a rival reeling and shake off a forgettable finish in Cincinnati that ushered in a new set of questions.
The Jaguars have their first divisional opponent of the year coming to town on Sunday at 1 p.m., a struggling Texans (0-2) team that’s already two games behind in the AFC South race.
The Jaguars (1-1) could, and should, be 2-0. But they gift wrapped a comeback opportunity for the Bengals and backup quarterback Jake Browning in Week 2. As stinging as that loss was, there’s real reason for optimism for Jacksonville under head coach Liam Coen. The Jaguars aren’t as bad as their second-half lapse in Cincinnati indicates, and they’ve made significant gains in some troublesome areas.
The big turnaround
Take away the 92-yard drive of Cincinnati at the finish in the last game, and the Jaguars have had an excellent start to the season. Anthony Campanile’s defense has six takeaways (five interceptions), with both of those totals leading the NFL. Jacksonville had just nine takeaways last year under Ryan Nielsen.
The ground game has taken major strides, too. Travis Etienne ranks second in the league in rushing yardage (214) and is averaging a robust 7.1 yards per carry. Coen did wonders with the rushing game during his season with Tampa Bay, taking the Buccaneers from the league’s worst ground game, to the fourth-best in the NFL.
A big part of that success was better performance on the offensive line. Trevor Lawrence has been sacked just once, and it came on the final drive against Cincinnati.
BTJ’s struggles
The story through two weeks of the season has been receiver Brian Thomas Jr.’s notable struggles. The 31-27 loss to the Bengals pushed that issue to the forefront.
“But we’re in a Week 2, everybody, so I think we can all just take a deep breath, give B.T. a little space,” Lawrence said. “He’s going to be just fine. I’m not worried about him at all. … He’s too good of a player to not be involved and make those plays down the field that we all know he can make. I’ve got all the confidence in the world in him and I’m excited for just another opportunity for him this week to get going.”
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 07: Brian Thomas Jr. #7 of the Jacksonville Jaguars scores a second quarter touchdown against the Carolina Panthers during the game at EverBank Stadium on September 07, 2025 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images) (2025 Getty Images)
Thomas let up on a play that led to an interception and dropped an easy ball on fourth down that would have essentially sealed the game. Coen said this week that Thomas was dealing with a wrist injury. He was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice but was limited on Thursday.
Coen and Lawrence both said that they have confidence that Thomas, a second-year player from LSU, will turn it around. Thomas has just five catches and 49 yards on 19 targets this season.
“Just like anybody on this team, nobody was pleased with the outcome,” Coen said. “And we had some good conversations, really good conversations and everybody was frustrated, but at the end of the day, he’s got a great opportunity to bounce back, as does the rest of our team and feel really confident about that.”
The Texans and the dubious history
The last time Houston played in Jacksonville, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair leveled a sliding Lawrence and gave him a concussion. Lawrence ultimately went on injured reserve and had shoulder surgery. Al-Shaair was suspended three games. There will almost certainly be a bit of tension just from Al-Shaair’s presence in Jacksonville.
Al-Shaair didn’t reach out to Lawrence after the hit.
“I’m past that. I’m way past that at this point in my life, so it’s not something I’ve thought about since then. Everybody’s different, it’s football, it’s a violent game and obviously it’s unfortunate when things like that happen and I don’t want to get into all that again,” Lawrence said. “We’re past that. So, I’m not going to look in the rear-view mirror.”
Coen said he doesn’t expect there to be an issue on Sunday.
“We’ve really tried not to look back much at last year, whatever it is, we’re trying to really go forward and each year is a new year,” he said. “Each week is a new week. Look, I think these guys are aware of what is at stake in terms of just the competitiveness between these two teams and that we haven’t had a ton of success, but that’s the past and we’re looking forward and these guys, I think have the right mentality the way that they’re approaching things, the way that we competed in the first two games.”
A greater issue for Jacksonville when it comes to the Texans is the history between the teams.
Houston has dominated the series.
The Texans are the newest NFL franchise, playing their first game eight years after the Jaguars entered the league. Houston has a 31-15 lead in the series and has beaten the Jaguars 15 out of 23 times in Jacksonville. The Jaguars haven’t won a game against the Texans at EverBank Stadium since Dec. 17, 2017.
“If we’re just being honest, haven’t had a ton of success against,” Lawrence said. “So, it’s always a game that I’m wanting to get after them and a game we want to win, especially because it’s a division opponent and it’s a big one for us.”
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