Why the Texans Success Should Put the Pressure on Jaguars

The Jaguars have some work to do this offseason to compete with the Houston Texans next season.

One year ago today, the Jacksonville Jaguars made history.

The Jaguars came back from a 27-0 deficit to beat the Los Angeles Chargers in dramatic fashion in front of their home crowd. One of the most memorable comebacks in recent NFL history was capped off with the hope of a run of dominance in the AFC South. 

364 days later, though, the Jaguars were forced to sit back and watch as the Houston Texans stole their thunder with a dominant playoff win over the Houston Texans, becoming league darlings in the process.

A week earlier, the Texans stole the division thanks to an epic late-season collapse from the Jaguars, who lost five of their last six games. Now, the Texans are where the Jaguars were a year ago: in firm control of the present and future of the AFC South.

There is an argument to make that nobody knows if the Texans won't be a repeat of the Jaguars, who fizzeled out in 2023 and never met the expectations people had for them to take a leap. 

But make no mistake. Entering the key months of the 2024 offseason, the Jaguars are the ones trailing the Texans. They are the ones who need to catch up. 

The Texans became the first team in the Super Bowl era to win their division with a rookie head coach and a rookie quarterback. They were helped by playing a fourth-place schedule, of course, but they are legitimate in every way.

From Stroud, to head coach DeMeco Ryans, to first-round pass-rusher Will Anderson Jr., to other key building blocks like Jonathan Greenard, Derek Stingley Jr., Nico Collins, Laremy Tunsil, Tank Dell, and more, the Texans have everything working in their favor for future success. 

They found their quarterback and head coach. They have their pass-rushers, a No. 1 receiver, a No. 1 corner, and a standout left tackle. They also have promising depth, loads of cap space, and a healthy stock of draft picks. 

Yes, the Jaguars beat this same Texans team in Houston as recently as Week 12. Trevor Lawrence is still one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL, surrounding by gifted players such as Christian Kirk, Evan Engram, Travis Etienne, Anton Harrison, Josh Allen, and potentially Calvin Ridley. 

And, yes, Doug Pederson is the same head coach who has led the Jaguars to back-to-back winning seasons and who won a Super Bowl with the Eagles. But until the Jaguars win back the trust of the football world with more consistency, they will be behind the Texans in the court of public opinion.

The Jaguars should embrace that, too. They should enter the 2024 offseason with one simple goal: catching and beating the Texans. The Texans have the resources and youth to make another run in 2024, even if they lose offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik to the head coach carousel. 

Entering 2023, the Jaguars were the clear top dog in the AFC South. The aging Titans were falling apart and the Texans and Colts were led by rookie passers and rookie head coaches.

But a lot changes over the course of an NFL season. The Texans and Colts both outdid expectations, while the Jaguars didn't improve from last year and saw themselves get passed in the process.

To ensure it doesn't happen again, the Jaguars should be aggressive to improve. The pressure should officially be on.