Fans back home along the St. Johns River get one more breakfast kickoff. The Jacksonville Jaguars stay in London for a second straight Sunday, this time at Wembley Stadium against the Houston Texans, after Cam Little’s 57-yard field goal as time expired beat the Eagles 19-17.
Defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton snapped on that kick after a long snapper injury scrambled the operation. Jacksonville is a 3-point favorite over a Houston team that just picked up its first win, 26-3 in Nashville.
Truth: Nobody is running on this defense
Jacksonville has allowed 319 rushing yards in five games, and opponents are averaging 2.9 yards per carry, the NFL’s lowest mark. The Bengals ran for 23 yards in Week 4. The Eagles came to London averaging 109 rushing yards per game and finished with 22 on 18 carries.
Head coach Liam Coen called that performance “pretty impressive regardless of who’s carrying the football.” Middle linebacker Ventrell Miller posted a 92.6 grade in the game, according to PFF. Houston ranks 31st with 395 rushing yards, and David Montgomery is averaging 2.7 yards per carry. If the Texans can’t run, C.J. Stroud has to carry them.
Truth: The penalty problem is real
Jacksonville was flagged 13 times for 125 yards in Cincinnati, then 13 more times for 100 yards against Philadelphia. The Jaguars are the first team since the 2011 Seahawks to win consecutive games with at least 13 penalties in each.
In London, Josh Cameron’s 90-yard opening kickoff return was wiped out by offsetting penalties that included a hold by Branson Combs, and rookie defensive end Bryan Thomas Jr. was ejected after a fight on the same play. Trevor Lawrence and left guard Emmanuel Pregnon were each charged with three penalties, according to PFF.
Houston allows 3.3 yards per carry, so second-and-15 against that front is a hard way to move the ball.
Truth: The pass rush pressures more than it finishes
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Jacksonville has 10 sacks in five games, and nobody has more than Travon Walker’s two. Josh Hines-Allen has seven quarterback hits but 1.5 sacks. Against Philadelphia, the defense generated 26 pressures and two sacks, according to PFF.
Houston’s line has allowed 14 sacks, but Stroud has thrown 185 passes without an interception, so the Jaguars can’t count on him giving the ball away. Walker and Hines-Allen need to turn hurries into drive-ending plays Sunday.
Lie: Brian Thomas Jr. is still the Jaguars’ No. 1 receiver
Thomas had 1,282 receiving yards as a rookie in 2024. Through five games this season, he has nine catches for 105 yards on 18 targets, and he was held without a catch on three targets against the Eagles. He sits behind three other pass catchers in receptions.
Parker Washington leads the team with 35 targets, 22 catches, 352 yards and four touchdowns. He caught both of Lawrence’s touchdown passes in London, from 51 and 27 yards, and his 84.2 grade in that game was the best on the Jaguars’ offense, according to PFF. That production builds the case for an extension, and he is the receiver Houston’s secondary has to plan around.
Kickoff is 9:30 a.m. ET Sunday at Wembley Stadium, with the game on NFL Network. Watch first down. If Houston can’t run early, Walker and Hines-Allen get the passing downs they need.
