November 8, 2025 • 9 mins
Travis Etienne and Trevor Lawrence vs a stellar defense. Davis Mills vs an active linebacker corps. Marc and John talk through what it'll take for the Texans to drop the Jags in NRG Stadium on Sunday.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Game preview Texans and the Jaguars Sunday at noon. Mark
Vandermere and John Harris. Let's go, Johnny. This is a
rematch Week three Texans lost to the Jaguars. It was
turnover city in the fourth quarter the Jags end of
the field, plus the Texans got a touchdown in that quarter,
somehow lost the game because of the turnovers. Really defense
(00:22):
played well enough to win. This is a little bit
of a different situation. Now you have Davis Mills going
for the Houston Texans. You have the Jags at five
and three, feeling pretty good about themselves after their overtime
win against the Raiders.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Absolutely both teams dealing with a lot of injuries. That's
one thing that we know in the NFL, once you
get to Week ten, in particular, you can be as
healthy as you want. Up into Week ten, I mean,
the Texans were as healthy as they could possibly be.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Now you're going into this game.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Potentially without the right side of your line, you're starting quarterback,
you're starting kicker, and maybe others that you're gonna be
without in this game. Jaguar same thing. Their receiver corps
is decimated. This why they went out and traded for
Toby Myers. They're missing Travis Hunter. Defensively, they're banged up.
Eric Murray, former Texan who had kind of solidified that secondary.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
He's going to be out.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
So you've got opportunities on both sides to kind of
take advantage of all Right, the Texans right side of
the offensive line, oh, the Jaguars secondary. Which team can
take advantage of the issue, so to speak, the injury issue?
The best will walk out of there with a win?
Speaker 3 (01:25):
All Right?
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Three things to look out for Josh heinz Allen, three names,
three things. He's the first thing really got to keep
him off Davis Mills and arianta Ersari had him last time.
Heinz Allen got some things done. Knocked the ball on
that final pick and CJ. Threw intended for Kirk Well,
you have to have the clean pocket long enough for
Davis Mills. The Jags are very good at sack at
(01:47):
the quarterback last in the league, so very bad as
a matter of fact collectively, But heinz Allen is a thorn.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Or a dagger in the side, and he has been
ever since he got to Jacksonville. I mean, he just
even if Larimy Tung so a left tackle, or he's
going on the other side against Titus, or he's going
against other tackles. He's just always been a thorn in
the side. He's so I stood next to him on
the field one time when he when he came up
there's a play ended up on our sideline. I just
(02:14):
remember kind of gawking at him, like, dang. He's long,
but he's strong and he's explosive off the ball. He
doesn't just roll off and let his power do it
for him. He's powerful and fast, and that is really
what created problems, especially on that last play, because it
looked like Ariantae had him. It looked like he was
(02:35):
away from CJ, that CJ could step up and hit
Christian in the end zone, and Josh heinz Allen just
reached out with his long left arm. I was able
to get the ball and that was the you know,
the ultimate play in that game.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
And so keeping him even.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Just away from the pocket is going to take a
couple of people. Now, who all do you devote to it?
Ariante has improved since that Jacksonville game. Let's be honest,
he has improved, but you still need the insurance of hey,
We're gonna let Woody go over here.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
Now here's the issue.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Because of that, and because of the injuries, you may
not have Titus that right tackle. So do you have
to go over and help Blake? If Blake is going
up against Trayvon Walker and does Josh heines Allen then
move over there to go against Blake, then you.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Help on outside.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
So there's a lot of decisions that Texans have to make,
but the biggest one they have to make sure is
that forty one Josh heines Allen doesn't.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Wreck the game.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Okay, Another thing to watch out for Travis Etn. This
is a top ten runner in this league, very physical,
having a good season. I think he's much more of
a concern for this defense than Trevor Lawrence himself.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Am I right, yes, And I remember about this and
know your foe this week that when Travis Etn has
a great ballgame, define great however you want. But when
he's getting twenty to twenty five touches combine receptions and carries,
Jacksonville's offense is tough to stop. Last week against the Raiders,
(04:03):
he got a ton of carriers. Now he didn't get
a ton of yards. He ran I think twenty two
times for like eighty five this yards, but.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
That was enough.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
That was enough to keep the Raiders off balance, and
then Trevor threw it pretty well throughout the second half.
Etn is the driver, he's the engine. You must tackle him,
and there have been. He's been there since we faced
him since twenty two. He was injured in twenty one,
but we faced him since twenty two, and he has
been difficult to tackle every time we have played him.
(04:31):
The tackling has got to be at a premium. And
when you get banged up and guys aren't as fast
as the ball as maybe they were in week one
or week two, now you need more guys there because
he's gonna pinball maybe off the first two, three, four, five,
sixth guy in. They've got to finish the tackles and
make sure that a three yard run doesn't turn into
a nine yard run, that an eight yard run doesn't
turn into a twenty eight yard run, because that's what
(04:53):
he can do to you.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Trevor Lawrence unimpressive numbers. Quarterback rating below eighty six, picks,
nine touchdowns, completion percent that is below sixty. This is
not what they envisioned. In year five, yet here they
are at five and three. I'll give you another thing
to watch out for, Cam Little because he kicked us
sixty eight yarder last week and it's bombs away with
(05:14):
the Jags. In the field goal department, he kicked a
seventy yarder in the preseason. Now, he hasn't always been
the most consistent, but and the opposing field goal kickers
tend to miss against the Texans, but when they get
to the fifty, they're gonna go forward. If they have
that opportunity late in the game, they're down three or
they're within that, they can do it with Cam Little
(05:35):
from the fifty because that's a sixty eight yarder right there.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
We play on turf and we play inside. Yeah, he
doesn't have to deal with the weather, the elements. But
one thing he has to deal with, and this fascinates me, Deniko.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
He has to deal with Deniko Autry.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
Why the Raiders did not have Max Crosby on the
field as a field goal blocker on the sixty eight
yard field goal is beyond me.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
He was over on the sideline. They have it on
NFL films. He's remarked. He's like, oh man, he said,
some words that I can't stay on the radio. He
should have been on the field. Denico Austry will be
on the field.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
The Texans do a great job of scheming Deniko up
to potentially block field goals, so that's one thing he
does have to worry about. And against us in Jacksonville,
he missed a big one in the second half. So
that's when you know, though, Okay, all I gotta do
is get to the fifty. Yeah, I mean, think about
a late game situation and maybe we're up two and
(06:32):
Trevor sitting there going with sixteen seconds left, they get
a touch back, they take the ball to thirty five,
they throw a dig route to midfield, spike it. Hey,
we'll try sixty seven yarder off turf indoors. They'll absolutely
do it. So you got to make sure that you
can a little proof this game that he doesn't have
a shot to do something like that at the end
(06:53):
of it.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
All Right, Sleepers of the Game presented by Mattress Firm,
the official sleep partner of the Houston Texans.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Who do you have this week? I'm going with Jake
Andrews at center. Now, it's a little different for Jake
this week.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Because the Jaguars are a little bit more They kind
of more for a little bit, but they play a
little bit more even front stuff, so they'll kind of
move around a little bit. But it's a little different
from what Denver does. That's really not even the biggest point.
The biggest point is he may have two different guards
next to him. He may have Lacn and Juice, he
might have, you know, other guys, but he's got to
(07:26):
get used to having if Laken and Juice are in
the game. He's not had a game this year where
both of them have been next to him, so he's.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Gonna have to work through some of that stuff.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
And when Jake plays well and they can get a
body to a linebacker, they run the ball well. And
the Texans must absolutely right in stone one thousand percent.
The Texans must get a body on Ventro Miller, Devin
Lloyd or Foyer Lukun. They have to get a hat
on a linebacker. The Jaguars are third in the league
(07:59):
in rush defense because those guys running the ball a
lot of times on Debated, you gotta get a guy there.
Jake Andrews is the guy who controls him out in
the middle. Better figured out.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
We haven't talked about Davis Mills much. He's not my sleeper,
but Davis needs a big game. He's four to five
and one in his career against the AFC South. He's
done it before he could do it. But here's my
real sleeper. Matthew Wright plays l because with fair baron
hurt right presst into duty, this team.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
Tends to kick some field goals.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Johnny, I don't know if he've been aware of this,
So you have been around, so you're gonna have to
convert those.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
This is an important job.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
This is sometimes taken for granted with the really good
kickers in this league. You're importing a kicker to replace
your injured kicker. He's got to do the job, and
if he does, you might walk out of there with
a win on Sunday.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Absolutely, he's former Jaguar. The year that he kicked for
the Jaguars, I think it was twenty twenty one. He's
twenty one to twenty four, right, I mean that's outstanding
for his career. I think he's eighty six eighty seven percent.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
It's a revenge game for Matthews.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Revenge game for well. He have a lot of those
because he played for a lot of teams. Look he's
got it.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Just come in. Make the field goals you should make.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
And and the kickoffs, oh yeah, can't make a mistaken
the kickoffs, giving them a touchback at the thirty five
or kicking one out of bounds, trying to be too cute,
and you give it to him at the forty.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
Yep, you've got to be just be solid.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Just let them return the ball, kick it inside the
ten and take the shot with the guys.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Guys, yep, let them do their job. And that's it.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Texans JAG Sunday at noon. Go Texans.
Game preview Texans and the Jaguars Sunday at noon. Mark
Vandermere and John Harris. Let's go, Johnny. This is a
rematch Week three Texans lost to the Jaguars. It was
turnover city in the fourth quarter the Jags end of
the field, plus the Texans got a touchdown in that quarter,
somehow lost the game because of the turnovers. Really defense
(00:22):
played well enough to win. This is a little bit
of a different situation. Now you have Davis Mills going
for the Houston Texans. You have the Jags at five
and three, feeling pretty good about themselves after their overtime
win against the Raiders.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Absolutely both teams dealing with a lot of injuries. That's
one thing that we know in the NFL, once you
get to Week ten, in particular, you can be as
healthy as you want. Up into Week ten, I mean,
the Texans were as healthy as they could possibly be.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Now you're going into this game.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Potentially without the right side of your line, you're starting quarterback,
you're starting kicker, and maybe others that you're gonna be
without in this game. Jaguar same thing. Their receiver corps
is decimated. This why they went out and traded for
Toby Myers. They're missing Travis Hunter. Defensively, they're banged up.
Eric Murray, former Texan who had kind of solidified that secondary.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
He's going to be out.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
So you've got opportunities on both sides to kind of
take advantage of all Right, the Texans right side of
the offensive line, oh, the Jaguars secondary. Which team can
take advantage of the issue, so to speak, the injury issue?
The best will walk out of there with a win?
Speaker 3 (01:25):
All Right?
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Three things to look out for Josh heinz Allen, three names,
three things. He's the first thing really got to keep
him off Davis Mills and arianta Ersari had him last time.
Heinz Allen got some things done. Knocked the ball on
that final pick and CJ. Threw intended for Kirk Well,
you have to have the clean pocket long enough for
Davis Mills. The Jags are very good at sack at
(01:47):
the quarterback last in the league, so very bad as
a matter of fact collectively, But heinz Allen is a thorn.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Or a dagger in the side, and he has been
ever since he got to Jacksonville. I mean, he just
even if Larimy Tung so a left tackle, or he's
going on the other side against Titus, or he's going
against other tackles. He's just always been a thorn in
the side. He's so I stood next to him on
the field one time when he when he came up
there's a play ended up on our sideline. I just
(02:14):
remember kind of gawking at him, like, dang. He's long,
but he's strong and he's explosive off the ball. He
doesn't just roll off and let his power do it
for him. He's powerful and fast, and that is really
what created problems, especially on that last play, because it
looked like Ariantae had him. It looked like he was
(02:35):
away from CJ, that CJ could step up and hit
Christian in the end zone, and Josh heinz Allen just
reached out with his long left arm. I was able
to get the ball and that was the you know,
the ultimate play in that game.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
And so keeping him even.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Just away from the pocket is going to take a
couple of people. Now, who all do you devote to it?
Ariante has improved since that Jacksonville game. Let's be honest,
he has improved, but you still need the insurance of hey,
We're gonna let Woody go over here.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
Now here's the issue.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Because of that, and because of the injuries, you may
not have Titus that right tackle. So do you have
to go over and help Blake? If Blake is going
up against Trayvon Walker and does Josh heines Allen then
move over there to go against Blake, then you.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Help on outside.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
So there's a lot of decisions that Texans have to make,
but the biggest one they have to make sure is
that forty one Josh heines Allen doesn't.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Wreck the game.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Okay, Another thing to watch out for Travis Etn. This
is a top ten runner in this league, very physical,
having a good season. I think he's much more of
a concern for this defense than Trevor Lawrence himself.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Am I right, yes, And I remember about this and
know your foe this week that when Travis Etn has
a great ballgame, define great however you want. But when
he's getting twenty to twenty five touches combine receptions and carries,
Jacksonville's offense is tough to stop. Last week against the Raiders,
(04:03):
he got a ton of carriers. Now he didn't get
a ton of yards. He ran I think twenty two
times for like eighty five this yards, but.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
That was enough.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
That was enough to keep the Raiders off balance, and
then Trevor threw it pretty well throughout the second half.
Etn is the driver, he's the engine. You must tackle him,
and there have been. He's been there since we faced
him since twenty two. He was injured in twenty one,
but we faced him since twenty two, and he has
been difficult to tackle every time we have played him.
(04:31):
The tackling has got to be at a premium. And
when you get banged up and guys aren't as fast
as the ball as maybe they were in week one
or week two, now you need more guys there because
he's gonna pinball maybe off the first two, three, four, five,
sixth guy in. They've got to finish the tackles and
make sure that a three yard run doesn't turn into
a nine yard run, that an eight yard run doesn't
turn into a twenty eight yard run, because that's what
(04:53):
he can do to you.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Trevor Lawrence unimpressive numbers. Quarterback rating below eighty six, picks,
nine touchdowns, completion percent that is below sixty. This is
not what they envisioned. In year five, yet here they
are at five and three. I'll give you another thing
to watch out for, Cam Little because he kicked us
sixty eight yarder last week and it's bombs away with
(05:14):
the Jags. In the field goal department, he kicked a
seventy yarder in the preseason. Now, he hasn't always been
the most consistent, but and the opposing field goal kickers
tend to miss against the Texans, but when they get
to the fifty, they're gonna go forward. If they have
that opportunity late in the game, they're down three or
they're within that, they can do it with Cam Little
(05:35):
from the fifty because that's a sixty eight yarder right there.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
We play on turf and we play inside. Yeah, he
doesn't have to deal with the weather, the elements. But
one thing he has to deal with, and this fascinates me, Deniko.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
He has to deal with Deniko Autry.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
Why the Raiders did not have Max Crosby on the
field as a field goal blocker on the sixty eight
yard field goal is beyond me.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
He was over on the sideline. They have it on
NFL films. He's remarked. He's like, oh man, he said,
some words that I can't stay on the radio. He
should have been on the field. Denico Austry will be
on the field.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
The Texans do a great job of scheming Deniko up
to potentially block field goals, so that's one thing he
does have to worry about. And against us in Jacksonville,
he missed a big one in the second half. So
that's when you know, though, Okay, all I gotta do
is get to the fifty. Yeah, I mean, think about
a late game situation and maybe we're up two and
(06:32):
Trevor sitting there going with sixteen seconds left, they get
a touch back, they take the ball to thirty five,
they throw a dig route to midfield, spike it. Hey,
we'll try sixty seven yarder off turf indoors. They'll absolutely
do it. So you got to make sure that you
can a little proof this game that he doesn't have
a shot to do something like that at the end
(06:53):
of it.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
All Right, Sleepers of the Game presented by Mattress Firm,
the official sleep partner of the Houston Texans.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Who do you have this week? I'm going with Jake
Andrews at center. Now, it's a little different for Jake
this week.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Because the Jaguars are a little bit more They kind
of more for a little bit, but they play a
little bit more even front stuff, so they'll kind of
move around a little bit. But it's a little different
from what Denver does. That's really not even the biggest point.
The biggest point is he may have two different guards
next to him. He may have Lacn and Juice, he
might have, you know, other guys, but he's got to
(07:26):
get used to having if Laken and Juice are in
the game. He's not had a game this year where
both of them have been next to him, so he's.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Gonna have to work through some of that stuff.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
And when Jake plays well and they can get a
body to a linebacker, they run the ball well. And
the Texans must absolutely right in stone one thousand percent.
The Texans must get a body on Ventro Miller, Devin
Lloyd or Foyer Lukun. They have to get a hat
on a linebacker. The Jaguars are third in the league
(07:59):
in rush defense because those guys running the ball a
lot of times on Debated, you gotta get a guy there.
Jake Andrews is the guy who controls him out in
the middle. Better figured out.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
We haven't talked about Davis Mills much. He's not my sleeper,
but Davis needs a big game. He's four to five
and one in his career against the AFC South. He's
done it before he could do it. But here's my
real sleeper. Matthew Wright plays l because with fair baron
hurt right presst into duty, this team.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
Tends to kick some field goals.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Johnny, I don't know if he've been aware of this,
So you have been around, so you're gonna have to
convert those.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
This is an important job.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
This is sometimes taken for granted with the really good
kickers in this league. You're importing a kicker to replace
your injured kicker. He's got to do the job, and
if he does, you might walk out of there with
a win on Sunday.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Absolutely, he's former Jaguar. The year that he kicked for
the Jaguars, I think it was twenty twenty one. He's
twenty one to twenty four, right, I mean that's outstanding
for his career. I think he's eighty six eighty seven percent.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
It's a revenge game for Matthews.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Revenge game for well. He have a lot of those
because he played for a lot of teams. Look he's
got it.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Just come in. Make the field goals you should make.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
And and the kickoffs, oh yeah, can't make a mistaken
the kickoffs, giving them a touchback at the thirty five
or kicking one out of bounds, trying to be too cute,
and you give it to him at the forty.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
Yep, you've got to be just be solid.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Just let them return the ball, kick it inside the
ten and take the shot with the guys.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Guys, yep, let them do their job. And that's it.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Texans JAG Sunday at noon. Go Texans.
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