For once, the Jacksonville Jaguars may have a better situation at quarterback than their opponent. Blake Bortles has struggled in his second NFL season, but at least he's entrenched as the starter. Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien, meanwhile, seemingly changes his mind on who should be under center on a regular basis.
Texans vs. Jaguars 2015 picks and predictions: Jacksonville slight favorite in a toss-up game
These two AFC South rivals who are battling it out in the division’s cellar likely view this game as an opportunity to rebound.
Ryan Mallett started four consecutive games for the Texans prior to exiting last Thursday night's contest against the Indianapolis Colts due to an injury. Veteran Brian Hoyer took over, and Mallett never reentered the game. Hoyer will be Houston's starter Sunday.
Hoyer performed well when he was in there, completing 24 of 31 passes for 312 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He completed a 42-yard touchdown heave to wideout Jaelen Strong as the first half was coming to a close.
But it’s far from a guarantee Hoyer has a firm grip on the job, considering O’Brien has already replaced him once this season. The Texans’ offense is in disarray, and worst of all, the defense hasn’t always been there to pick them up.
Houston’s once-vaunted D has sunk to 11th in the league. That’s not bad, per se, but not the level they expected to be at prior to the start of the season. The Texans allowed 40-year-old backup Matt Hasselback to throw two second half touchdown passes to beat them last week.
Stopping Bortles may prove to be an easier task, as he's currently nursing a shoulder injury that he suffered during last week's 38-31 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Bortles struggled mightily against the Texans last season, too, only completing 47.2 percent of his passes in two contests. J.J. Watt sacked Bortles six times in 2014.
Both teams probably view this game as an opportunity to rebound, and rightfully so. The Texans and Jaguars are two flawed teams that have few strengths, but somebody has to win.
Five of our eight experts say the Jaguars will win and snap their three-game losing streak. Five of CBS’s eight prognosticators are picking Jacksonville to be victorious at home as well.
| Ryan Van Bibber | Stephen White | Joel Thorman | David Fucillo | Danny Kelly | Matt Ufford | PFT Commenter | OddsShark | |
| HOU @ JAX | JAX | HOU | HOU | JAX | HOU | JAX | JAX | JAX |
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