As week 12 in the NFL is set to begin, the Jacksonville Jaguars are scheduled to travel to Houston to face the Texans on Sunday. The winner of the game will secure first place in the AFC South.
The Jaguars come into the game with at 7-3, with losses to the Chiefs, 49ers and Texans. Meanwhile, the underdog Houston Texans enter the matchup at 6-4.
Jaguars vs Texans: We Meet Again
Sunday’s game will be the second time these two teams meet this season.
During Week 3, the Jaguars hosted the Texans at TIAA Bank Field. However, Houston emerged victorious on the road, winning 37-17.
Week 3’s divisional win for the Texans was their first victory of the season, after they fell short to the Colts and the Ravens the previous two weeks.
For Jacksonville, it was an unfortunate, untimely loss as the Jaguars dropped back-to-back games at home after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in week 2.
The Jaguars quickly got back on track in week 4 with a 23-7 home win against the Atlanta Falcons. Since the loss to Houston, Jacksonville has gone 6-1, good enough to claim the top of the division, for now.
Quarterback Showdown
Trevor Lawrence
This game will be all about revenge with a big divisional win on the line. At the forefront of the matchup will be a face-off of talented quarterbacks looking to prove their legitimacy among the best in the AFC.
For the Jacksonville Jaguars, quarterback Trevor Lawrence is coming off his best game of the season.
In Week 11, the Jaguars beat the Tennessee Titans 34-14. Lawrence threw two touchdowns and was 24-for-32 while throwing for 262 yards in the game. He also added 17 yards on the ground and two more scores.
Trevor Lawrence with the rushing TD!
His eighth career rushing touchdown. #ClemsonNFL
— #ClemsonNFL (@ClemsonPros) November 19, 2023
He currently has a passer rating of 92.2 with 2,382 passing yards, 13 total touchdowns and six interceptions on the season.
Lawrence is ranked No. 10 in Week 11’s NFL QB Index.
However, opposite him will be Houston’s C.J. Stroud, who is ranked No.5 on the list.
C.J. Stroud
Texans first-round pick, C.J. Stroud, has had an amazing rookie season.
Stroud has led his team to victory in six out of the past eight games, with two of those being remarkable comeback wins against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (39-37) and Cincinnati Bengals (30-27).
In the Texans’ week 11 game against the Arizona Cardinals, Stroud threw two touchdowns and was 27-for-37 for 336 yards in the game.
C.J. Stroud is special.pic.twitter.com/2zqFSJWK6F
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) November 19, 2023
Against the Buccaneers, Stroud set the rookie record for most passing yards in a single game. He threw for 470 yards, along with five touchdowns through the air. The old record was set by Andrew Luck with 433 yards during his rookie season.
Stroud currently has a passer rating of 99.3 with 2,962 yards, 17 touchdowns and five interceptions on the year. However, he will have a tall task in front of him against a Jaguars defense allowing just 20.4 points per game.