Jaguars' Struggling Rival Has Brought Déjà Vu to AFC South

The Houston Texans look a lot like the 2023 Jacksonville Jaguars.

Nov 24, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) looks on during the two minute warning against the Tennessee Titans in the fourth quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The AFC South is experiencing a serious case of déjà vu.

A year after the Jacksonville Jaguars went from the belle of the ball to the team that nobody could seem to be interested in anymore, it appears the Houston Texans are on the same track.

After an offseason of non-stop hype, the Texans have turned back into pumpkins in recent weeks. For weeks now, the Texans have just felt ... off.

They have been far from the dominant Super Bowl contenders that trendy podcasts and preseason NFL previews tabbed them as. C.J. Stroud is seemingly taking a step back compared to his historic rookie season.

After starting the season 5-1, the Texans now sit at 7-5 and are losers of three of their last four games. There does not appear to be a team ready to leapfrog them like they did to the Jaguars last year, or like how the Jaguars did to the Tennessee Titans in 2022.

The Texans' inability to live up to their hype was further emphasized in Week 12, with the Texans somehow blowing a game to the 3-8 Tennessee Titans despite a plethora of chances to win the game. The Texans are supposed to be worlds better than the Titans. But on Sunday, the Titans played and executed like the better team.

Just like the Jaguars failed to live up to their own hype a year ago, the Texans have looked like a zombie version of the team that took the AFC South by storm in 2023. The Jaguars understand how this movie goes. They lived it last year, starting 8-3 before collapsing down the stretch and losing their divisional hold to the Texans in Week 18.

There is no up-and-coming team or red-hot young quarterback to overtake the Texans this year. No C.J. Stroud or Trevor Lawrence. And the Jaguars' inability to win in close games has pushed them to the cellar of the AFC South, making then anything but a threat to Houston over the final six weeks.

But no matter how the Texans get to an AFC South title in 2024, it will be clear that things did not go as planned. As of today, the Texans look like a team that will take a happy to be here-type loss in the Wild Card Round.

Just like the Jaguars, the Texans were supposed to hope for so much more than this.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @JaguarsOnSI and @_John_Shipley and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.