Jaguars vs. Texans: 5 Questions Facing Jacksonville Ahead of Week 1

The Jacksonville Jaguars are officially in the middle of game week.

The Week 1 road opener against the Houston Texans is just four days away, with Urban Meyer and the Jaguars taking to the practice field on Wednesday to prepare for the first test of the season, and the first test of the Meyer era. It is also the first chance for Meyer to put the Jaguars ahead of the pack in the AFC South, even if he hasn't put his own focus there yet.

“We’re not there yet. We will as it gets closer to game time. Now, it’s all about the most prepared team will win," Meyer said on Wednesday. "And Wednesday and Thursday is all about preparation and then we’ll get to that stuff later in the week.”

With the Jaguars facing off against Houston in a matter of days, we take a look at both teams to assess the matchup and the biggest questions facing them ahead of Week 1.

How successful can Trevor Lawrence be against a potentially suspect pass defense?

If the Jaguars have been a team in transition in 2021, the Houston Texans have taken it one step further and become a team in metamorphosis. The Texans have undergone a complete roster overhaul this offseason, especially in the secondary. That overhaul continued on Wednesday when Houston reportedly traded cornerback Bradley Roby to the Saints. Roby wouldn't have played against the Jaguars due to a suspension, but it underscores the thinning of their secondary depth.

That now creates the question of just how successful No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence can be in his regular-season debut. Lawrence (along with Zach Wilson) is set to be one of five rookie quarterbacks to start in Week 1 of the season. The success of the previous three quarterbacks -- Sam Darnold, Kyler Murray, and Joe Burrow -- was mixed. Sam Darnold won, dicing up Matt Patricia's Detroit Lions defense. Kyler Murray tied with, hilariously enough, the Lions the next season with a 29-54/308 yards/two touchdown/one interception stat line, while Burrow and the Bengals lost by three to the Los Angeles Chargers. Only Darnold (116.8) finished with a quarterback rating higher than 76, with Murray (75.2) and Burrow (66.1) dipping below them.

There will be a learning curve since it will be Lawrence's first real NFL action if you are discounting the preseason, but Lawrence will be facing a Houston defense that finished No. 29 in pass defense DVOA last year and will now potentially start Terrance Mitchell and Vernon Hargreaves III this season. That is far from an intimidating secondary, but Lawrence will still have to pass the rookie test. Whether Lawrence can find success against an iffy Texans secondary will be key to the Jaguars' chances of success on Sunday. He has the situation working in his favor, so the Jaguars will have to take advantage.

Can the Jaguars keep Tyrod Taylor in the pocket?

Urban Meyer and the Jaguars' defensive staff have watched Tyrod Taylor starts from 2017 and previously to get a feel for their opponent. This is necessary, too, as Taylor has only started four games and thrown 121 passes in regular-season action in the three seasons since. One thing the Jaguars have likely seen as they watch Taylor during his tenure as the Buffalo Bills' starter is the 10th-year veteran's ability to use his speed to pick up yards with his legs. After all, Taylor rushed for 14 touchdowns and 1,575 yards at 5.6 yards a pop during his three seasons with the Bills, with his mobility becoming a key part of Buffalo's multifaceted run game.

How can the Jaguars counter this dynamic? The most important part of limiting Taylor's impact will be for Jacksonville's pass-rush to keep Taylor inside the pocket. Most of Taylor's rushing yards over the years are scramble yards as opposed to yards from designed carries, leaving the Jaguars open to potentially being on the receiving end of a bevy of extended plays. Considering the Jaguars' tendency to blitz under defensive coordinator Joe Cullen this preseason, it will be fascinating to see what gives first: the Jaguars' ability to contain Taylor or Taylor's own ability to escape from the Jaguars' rush.

The Texans plan to run the ball early and often ... can the Jaguars' preseason run defense make an appearance?

There is zero reason to believe the Texans are going to be a team that will air the ball out this season. They loaded up on running backs all offseason and shed the roster of a variety of receiving options, leaving Chris Conley and rookie Nico Collins (and Anthony Miller, who is fresh off an injury) as their top receiving options behind Brandin Cooks. In short, if the Texans are going to move the ball in 2021, they will likely be doing it on the ground.

The ground game will be the focus, and the offensive line a major key this season. https://t.co/CgxsGvbetM
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) September 8, 2021

The Jaguars' remade defense had a terrific showing against the run in the preseason, especially the first two weeks. The Jaguars allowed just 104 yards on 47 carries (2.21 yards per carry) through two preseason games, allowing only three first downs on the ground in each contest as well. The Jaguars made investments in the offseason into gargantuan linemen and high-effort run defenders like Malcom Brown, Roy Robertson-Harris and Jihad Ward, while also switching to a 3-4 base defense that is built to stop the run. The Texans will test the Jaguars' theories about how far the run defense has come, largely out of necessity.

How will Darrell Bevell get DJ Chark the ball?

With all of the Jaguars' starting receivers set to play against the Texans, the common question has been which one could be primed for a productive game. There is a trio of talented players to choose from, but the easiest answer is Marvin Jones Jr., largely because it is easy to get him the ball. He is a skilled possession threat who has a proven rapport with Trevor Lawrence. The mystery that awaits the Jaguars' passing game, and what will dictate how many explosive plays they can produce, is how offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell schemes to get the ball to DJ Chark, the Jaguars' resident big-play threat.

Chark missed the preseason with a hand injury but is set to play in Week 1. He, along with Tyron Johnson, possesses the Jaguars' best chance at pushing the ball downfield. Chark is a bonafide deep threat who is at his best on vertical routes thanks to his blend of size and 4.34 speed. How Bevell schemes plays up for Chark is a bit of an unknown due to the preseason, but Bevell wasn't afraid to let the Jaguars test defenses vertically in Week 3 of the preseason. How often he dials up deep shots for Chark in one-on-one situations, and how many times he can put Chark in favorable positions, will dictate how explosive the Jaguars' passing game will be.

Just how important is this season-opener for the Jaguars considering the opponent?

That is the million-dollar question. Week 1 brings out more overreactions than any other time in the NFL season and it is a 17-game marathon, not a week-by-week slugfest like college football. But even with all of that said, it truly feels like Week 1 matters to an extent for the Jaguars. The Jaguars have the NFL's longest losing streak and haven't won a game since Week 1 of last season (364 days before Sunday's game). Plus, they are playing a Texans team that has been ridiculed and questioned so frequently and ferociously this offseason that their own players are questioning roster moves on social media.

Shit krazy and I don’t understand it but go spin bro @BradRoby_1 https://t.co/ZPpFOFngr4
— Lonnie Johnson jr. (@Lonnie30johnson) September 8, 2021

The Texans are very likely a better team than they are given credit for, but losing to a squad that is perceived to be the worst in the NFL would put a damper on the excitement in Jacksonville -- especially since the Texans are an AFC South rival. Sure, there will be 16 more games to play, but Meyer seemingly took poor preseason performances tough. It is hard to imagine a loss in the season-opener against this Texans team would be perceived much better. The Jaguars need a fast start in 2021 in the worst way, from the fan base to the coaching staff to the locker room. A win in Week 1 would be huge. A loss, especially against the Texans, would be a bit jarring.