Official Texans vs. Jaguars Game Thread, 12/18/2016

[Arky]

It's Week 15 and the 2-11 Jacksonville Jaguars come to NRG for a noon Sunday game. The Jags haven't won a game in 2 months but they've been close a number of times this year. Six of their losses have been by 7 or less points. QB Blake Bortles has thrown for 3187 yards and completes 58.7% of his passes. He's thrown for 21 TDs, 15 INTs and has a 77.9 rating. The Jag running game consists of TJ Yeldon (432 yds, 3.6 avg), Chris Ivory (350 yds, 3.8 avg), Denard Robinson (127 yds, 3.4 avg) and Bortles himself (336 yds, 6.7 avg). Leading targets in the passing game are Marqise Lee (728 yds), Allen Robinson (639 yds), Allen Hurns (477 yds), Julius Thomas (281 yds) and Yeldon (278 yds) out of the backfield. The Jags defense has the interesting dichotomy of being a respectable 5th overall allowing 316.4 yds/gm but 27th allowing 26 points/gm. The Jags are coming off a 25-16 home loss to the Vikings.

The Texans won a road game last week beating the Indianapolis Colts 22-17. They need a win to help their chances of winning the AFC South. The Texans won the first meeting this year @Jacksonville, 24-21.

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TV = CBS (channel 11 local), noon CST, Sunday 12-18-2016

Announcers = Andrew Catalon, Steve Beuerlein, Steve Tasker

The Line = Texans by 6

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Other Sunday viewing in the Houston area:

CBS (late) = New England @ Denver, Jim Nantz, Phil Simms

FOX (late) = New Orleans @ Arizona, Chris Myers, Ronde Barber

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Prime time:

TNF = Los Angeles @ Seattle (NBC; NFLN)

Saturday Night = Miami @ NY Jets (NFLN)

SNF = Tampa Bay @ Dallas (NBC)

MNF = Carolina @ Washington (ESPN)

[Arky]

Pendergast on Texans vs. Jags

If there's one thing Bill O'Brien does well, it's beat the snot out of Jacksonville, 5-0 straight up and 4-1 against the spread in his time here as head coach. Let's look at some wrinkles for this Sunday...

[nunusguy]

We are so beat up I don't know if we can field a complete team for this game ? Fido is turning into a poor mans Gronc but he's out and our best LB Mercilus is also unlikley to play. It doesn't look good.

[Arky]

Originally Posted by nunusguy

We are so beat up I don't know if we can field a complete team for this game ? Fido is turning into a poor mans Gronc but he's out and our best LB Mercilus is also unlikley to play. It doesn't look good.

Which, I surmise is the reason the line has fallen to Texans by 3.5 - I find that disturbing... Not a good sign... I'm sure hoping the Texans show up with their game faces on but the first time they beat Indy, they went up to Denver and laid an egg losing 27-9. Different conditions, of course, on the road, etc. but the game tomorrow/today is a very real let down situation for the Texans.... add in the injuries....

Could be worse, I suppose. Could be playing in KC where the high tomorrow is a balmy 12ºF.....

[nunusguy]

Originally Posted by Arky

Which, I surmise is the reason the line has fallen to Texans by 3.5 - I find that disturbing... Not a good sign... I'm sure hoping the Texans show up with their game faces on but the first time they beat Indy, they went up to Denver and laid an egg losing 27-9. Different conditions, of course, on the road, etc. but the game tomorrow/today is a very real let down situation for the Texans.... add in the injuries....

Could be worse, I suppose. Could be playing in KC where the high tomorrow is a balmy 12ºF.....

Temperatures across the Kansas City area at 4 a.m. ranged from minus-2 to minus-12 degrees. Add in the wind chills, and it felt like minus-30 degrees in some areas.
And the temperatures still had a few more degrees to drop before sunrise. By 7 a.m., Kansas City hit minus-9 degrees, tying the third-coldest reading this century.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/news/local...#storylink=cpy
Mariota, a Hawaiian boy, has surely never experienced those kinds of conditions in his lifetime so if he and his Titans teammates can beat the Chiefs in those weather conditions they deserve to win the AFC South which I think they will do if they win today.

[Arky]

Texan inactives:

5- QB Brandon Weeden
20- S Don Jones
24- CB Johnathan Joseph
51- OLB John Simon
59- OLB Whitney Mercilus
79- G Jeff Allen
87- TE C.J. Fiedorowicz

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Shabazz was cut to make room for Brennan Scarlett (active).

Interesting that Wendall Williams is also active.

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Texans in battle red today. I think it's red tops, white bottoms but heard a rumor it might be blue bottoms.....