Jaguars' Fierce Rival Should Not Be Too Proud of Week 13 Win

The Houston Texans did not exactly look impressive during their Week 13 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7), left, talks with Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) after the game of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Texans held off the Jaguars 23-20. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Houston Texans defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday afternoon, completing the season sweep of the Jaguars and improving to 8-5 overall.

However, the Texans should absolutely not be proud of their Week 13 showing.

Houston came away with a narrow 23-20 win, and that was with Trevor Lawrence throwing just 10 passes before exiting courtesy of a dirty hit from Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.

A win is a win, sure, but given that Jacksonville is just 2-10 and Houston is supposed to represent a legitimate threat to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Texans should have won this game handily.

That's especially after Houston was embarrassed at home by the Tennessee Titans last weekend.

The Jaguars actually outgained the Texans in total yardage, 373 to 326, and Houston's defense actually made embattled quarterback Mac Jones look really good.

It's becoming more and more obvious that Houston, while solid, is not a very good football team. There are numerous AFC squads that are clearly superior to the Texans, which didn't appear to be the case heading into the season.

Houston had a very busy offseason, adding big names like Stefon Diggs, Danielle Hunter and Joe Mixon. While Diggs is out for the year with a torn ACL, the rest of the team has not lived up to expectations in general.

The offense has looked more stagnant than anticipated. C.J. Stroud has taken a considerable step back during his sophomore campaign, and the offensive line has been pedestrian, at best.

Not only that, but the Texans' defense went into the afternoon surrendering 22.3 points per game, which ranked a very average 15th in the NFL.

On paper, there is no question that Houston looks really good, and yes, the Texans are almost certainly going to win the AFC South. But for a team that was supposed to contend for a Super Bowl this season, Houston looks decidedly ordinary.

The Texans have one truly impressive win on their resume, which came at the expense of the Buffalo Bills in Week 5. But that's it, and I don't think anyone can rely on Josh Allen going 9-for-30 again.

Perhaps Houston has an extra gear and will flip that switch between now and the postseason. But after watching the Texans struggle to put away the Jaguars on Sunday, it's difficult to imagine this club messing with the top teams in the league come playoff time.

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