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Jaguars-Texans report card: Offense was a dud, special teams meh, but what about that defense
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- Jaguars-Texans report card: Offense was a dud, special teams meh, but what about that defense
Grading the Jacksonville Jaguars' 17-10 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday, Sept. 21, at EverBank Stadium.
The Jaguars (2-1) will play at San Francisco on Sept. 28.
Offense: D
OMG, those drops, and not just by Brian Thomas Jr. Parker Washington inexplicably joined the Butter Fingers Club, as did Travis Etienne . There were costly holding penalties on offensive linemen Walker Little and Patrick Mekari, Trevor Lawrence threw an interception into traffic and the Jags couldn't run the ball consistently. And they still can't find a way to get Travis Hunter involved to the point where he's a viable weapon, aside from one 21-yard gain.
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Bhayshul Tuten (33) scores a rushing touchdown as quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) celebrates during the first quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
All-in-all, the game was a major stumbling block for coach Liam Coen and his vision of what he wants this offense to be. It looked a lot like the plodding, lethargic offense of 2024. But it was a victory, thanks to ....
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Defense: A
The busted coverage on the pass to Nico Collins for a fourth-quarter touchdown aside, it was a stellar performance. The Jaguars forced three turnovers and have now matched their entire total of 2024 with nine. It was the first time that Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud had thrown a pick against the Jaguars, and it's the first time he lost in Jacksonville.
The Jaguars also had two sacks, four tackles for loss and held the Texans below 13 points at home for the first time since a 45-7 victory in 2017.
More importantly, the Jaguars had Collins reasonably at bay. He did tie the game with his 50-yard reception from Stroud in the fourth quarter, but he had seven catches for 54 yards otherwise and made a key turnover when Tyson Campbell stripped him of the ball at the Jaguars' 15.
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Special teams: C
In addition to the offensive problems, another huge question mark for this team is the overall performance of the special teams. Cam Little missed a 47-yard field goal attempt, normally a chip shot for him, ending his streak of 17 consecutive through the uprights.
Punter Logan Cooke had one 42-yard pop-up that gave the Texans the ball near midfield but he did get off a 60-yarder in the fourth quarter to the Houston 8, which was downed with a typical hustle play by long snapper Ross Matiscik .
The Jaguars haven't come close to getting a decent return on kickoffs or punts.
Intangibles: B
The Jaguars finally broke their hex against the Texans at home, which had reached six in a row at EverBank Stadium and found a way to win a one-score game that was pretty ugly. The Jags were 3-10 in one-score games last year.
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A lot went wrong and against an elite team, the Jaguars would have lost. But they found a way and there's something to be said for that.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars report card: Dominant defense made up for offense, special teams
