Know your enemy: 5 questions and a prediction with State of the Texans

Heading into each Jacksonville Jaguars game during the 2019 season and beyond, JaguarMaven will feature a Q&A series with fellow NFL Mavens to give a preview of the Jaguars opponents from the people who know them the most.

With the Jaguars matching up with the Kansas City Chiefs at 1 p.m. Sunday to kick off the 2019 season, Patrick D. Starr of State of the Texans has joined JaguarMaven to discuss how he perceives the matchup, his prediction and more.

It is time to begin to know the enemy.

1. Outside of franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson, the major storyline with the Houston Texans over the past few weeks has been their offensive line. They bolstered the unit with Laremy Tunsil, but is the group still an area of concern going against a team like Jacksonville whose strength is its defensive line?

State of the Texans: The reason it remains a concern is due to the constant shuffling during training camp and the arrival of Laremy Tunsil over a week ago. The group just hasn't had time together on the field to grow so that it will be a work in progress on the field. Add in there is a good chance the group will change again when the first-round pick Tytus Howard returns from his broken finger he sustained during the preseason.

The Texans are a much more physical group in 2019 than last season, their issues on Monday Night against the New Orleans Saints appeared to be more about communication. It will be up to the Texans to clean that up in a hurry in their practices.

2. Houston traded away Jadaveon Clowney before the season started but still have some familiar faces upfront like JJ Watt and Whitney Mercilus. Even without Clowney, is the Texans front seven still going to be a formidable challenge for the Jaguars, like it has in past seasons?

State of the Texans: The Texans struggled to get to Drew Brees, part in how quick he got the football out but also some suspect pass rushing. Whitney Mercilus did register a sack while JJ Watt was shut out getting to the quarterback.

The defensive front is less dynamic without Jadeveon Clowney, and they will have to get creative on how to find pass-rushing threats to replace him. Second-year outside linebacker Jacob Martin had some good work in limited snaps against the Saints, but they need Watt to be their moneymaker in the pass-rushing department on Sunday.

3. Deshaun Watson seems like the type of quarterback who can will his team to a win no matter the situation or circumstances. How valuable is that for a team to have, and how dangerous does it make him for opposing defenses to face?

State of the Texans: How the Texans ended up with Deshaun Watson will be one of the biggest mysteries of all-time, especially with quarterback-needy teams passing on him that night of the draft. Watson has been a game-changer for the Texans and since he has been the starter.

The Texans have not lost a game more than a possession. Take Monday Night for an example. He leads a 2-play 75-yard scoring drive that spanned: 13 seconds. He has the big-play ability, and he has improved his pocket presence this season being under control is evident. He has a better understanding of the offense and it is making an offense potentially explosive for 2019.

4. Houston has a pair of former Jaguars defensive backs on their roster with (now released) Aaron Colvin and Tashaun Gipson. What have the returns been like on each so far, and do you expect them to play large roles on Sunday?

State of the Texans: As you know, Aaron Colvin was released after a disappointing week one performance. Colvin could never get his footing down with the Texans. After signing a big free-agent deal, Colvin never really made the difference many thought he would serve as the defenses, primary nickel cornerback.

Tashaun Gipson has not had enough time to get a feel for what he can bring. He missed significant time during training camp with an undisclosed injury, but he started in week one. He was beaten in coverage but didn't have much of an impact on the game.

Gipson remains the Texans starting safety next to Justin Reid, and the Texans are going to be patient with the duo as they learn together moving forward. He will be extra juiced to play against his former team on Sunday. He was already excited during camp on the idea of playing them twice during the regular season.

5. If you had to pick one player from each team who could end up deciding the game in your opinion, who is it?

State of the Texans: For the Jaguars it is Garden Minshew II. If he can get the Jaguars offense rolling, they will have a chance. Texans defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel has a high success rate against rookie quarterbacks. He will do everything to make Minshew's life miserable on Sunday.

For the Texans, it has to be DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins makes the offense go, and he embraces the opportunity to play against Jalen Ramsey. Hopkins has the utmost respect for Ramsey, and it will be another day of must-see-TV when that two matchup on the field.

6. Final score prediction?

State of the Texans: Texans by 10, only because Nick Foles is not playing. If Foles were playing, I would be picking Jacksonville.

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