That’s quite a switch
As the Texans struggle with key injuries and other issues, the Jaguars are closing in on a spot in the postseason
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The mighty painful fall of the Texans has involved plenty of frustration, devastating injuries and the exposure of obvious holes in their roster.
Their downward spiral after winning the previous two AFC South division crowns is largely attributable to the unusual level of casualties of irreplaceable star players.
As the 4-9 Texans careen toward their worst season and unprecedented losing record during the four-year tenure of coach Bill O’Brien, there’s been a dramatic reversal of fortunes for the first-place Jacksonville Jaguars.
When the Texans square off Sunday against the 9-4 Jaguars at EverBank Field, they’ll be met by a fast, aggressive, talent-rich football team that’s transformed its reputation as a doormat and is emerging as a division bully.
The Jaguars will clinch a playoff berth Sunday if they beat the Texans, who have lost six of their past seven games and have won just once since rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson tore his anterior cruciate ligament in practice.
Under the vision of Tom Coughlin and coach Doug Marrone, the Jaguars have become a tough, hard-hitting team. They overhauled the roster during the offseason by drafting former LSU standout running back Leonard Fournette, the rugged centerpiece of the NFL’s topranked running game.
The Jaguars boosted an already stout defense by signing 6-8, 300-pound defensive end Calais Campbell. He has set a franchise single-season record with 12½ sacks. They poached shutdown cornerback A.J. Bouye from the Texans by signing him to a five-year, $67.5 million freeagent contract in March. Bouye is tied for the NFL lead with six interceptions. Record in sight
The Jaguars’ defense is having a historically excellent season. They can become the first team since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 to lead the NFL in scoring defense, sacks and takeaways. Not even the 1985 Chicago Bears and 2000 Baltimore Ravens accomplished that feat.
The offense, with often criticized quarterback Blake Bortles doing a much better job as a game manager while Fournette punishes tacklers, is holding up its end of the bargain.
“I think Jacksonville’s done a good job,” O’Brien said. “They made some changes there, hired Doug, hired Coach Coughlin. They have a lot of talent. They’ve got a good football team.”
The Jaguars are poised to earn a trip to the postseason for the first time since the 2007 season. They have an 8-2 conference record.
They dominated the Texans during a 29-7 win at NRG Stadium to launch the season, marking their first win over them since Dec. 5, 2013. That was the last time the Jaguars swept the annual season series with the Texans.
“We’re just trying to keep our heads down and just keep working and not really look at the records or anything of that nature,” Marrone said during a conference call. “Just trying to make sure that we can gear things up so when we go out on the field on Sunday, we can put together a performance that we’re proud of and have the ability to win a football game. We really haven’t looked at things as a whole. We’re really just trying to keep it micro in what we’re doing as a team.”
The Jaguars’ defensive mettle is eye-popping enough that they’ve earned respect from some of the best defensive players in the NFL, including Texans outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney.
“They picked up a lot of people in the offseason,” Clowney said. “They’ve got a great defense. We’ve got to go in there and bring our A game. We’ve got to be physical. It’s going to be a physical game.”
The Jaguars are allowing a league-low 15.5 points per game, 174.2 passing yards per contest and also rank first with 47 sacks, 16 forced fumbles and 30 takeaways.
They’ve only had one defensive starter miss any games this season, with linebacker Telvin Smith dealing with a concussion.
The Jaguars are a staggering plus-14 in turnover margin, which is typically a key statistic in determining the outcome of games.
“That’s huge,” O’Brien said. “In the past, that wasn’t their deal. They were turning over a lot and they weren’t getting a lot of takeaways. They’ve flipped that script. That’s part of it, too. Plus, the amount of talent that they have.”
As much as the Jaguars are enjoying their renaissance, the Texans are enduring a miserable season.
Beyond losing a dynamic dual-threat quarterback in Watson, the Texans have also been forced to play without two of the NFL’s best players in injured defensive end J.J. Watt (broken leg) and outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus (torn pectoral. The running game misses the tackle-breaking presence of rookie running back D’Onta Foreman, who tore his Achilles tendon.
The Texans are on their third quarterback of the season with starter Tom Savage out with a concussion and T.J. Yates replacing him under center.
In the Texans’ eight losses since being blown out by Jacksonville to start the season, they’ve lost by an average margin of 8.8 points.
“Tough team, man,” said Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who is having another Pro Bowl caliber season with 88 catches for 1,233 yards and an NFL-best 11 touchdown receptions. “We’re going to fight until it’s 00:00 on the board.”
Unaccustomed to this kind of season, O’Brien has maintained morale, and there haven’t been any signs of players mailing it in during a season that’s gone awry.
Despite all of their problems, the Texans continue to play hard for each other and O’Brien. They’ve been extremely competitive, losing narrowly to several good teams like the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks before Watson got hurt.
“I’m proud of this team,” O’Brien said. “This is football. Some years just don’t go as well as other years. It’s the way the ball bounces. Obviously, I always talk to you guys about having to coach better, having to improve that area, but as far as these guys playing and playing hard and being united in that way, that’s the identity of our team.
“Any team that I would ever want to be associated would play that way, play hard, play tough. At times, it just hasn’t been good enough, but that’s not from lack of effort.” Defending O’Brien
While that effort hasn’t manifested itself in many wins as the Texans have a substandard record this season after going 9-7 each of the previous two campaigns under O’Brien, one of his closest friends in the industry praised the fourthyear coach for his work in holding the team together.
“I think he’s an outstanding coach,” said Marrone, who used to work with O’Brien under George O’Leary at Georgia Tech. “He’s one of the best coaches that I’ve ever coached with. Again, he knows how this league is. He’s been through it a lot. They’ve been through the hurricane, they’ve had an enormous amount of injuries, more than most teams.
“But when you turn the tape on, gosh, those guys are playing extremely hard. Schematically, they’re putting them in positions where they can make plays. I know that the Texans will be ready to come in and give us their best game and we’ve got to play extremely well. It’s a tough challenge for us.”
As much as winning is a habit of successful people and organizations, losing can also become one. The Texans are determined to make this season an aberration as they’ll try to play catchup with the Jaguars during an offseason filled with important rehabilitation projects along with pressing need to upgrade the offensive line and secondary.
“We can’t make the playoffs now, but we’ve got to finish strong and try to get ready for Jacksonville,” Clowney said. “We’re still looking for that win and hopefully go down there and get it.” aaron.wilson@chron.com twitter.com/aaronWilson_NFL