Five most important things for the Jaguars:
1. Limit big plays. The Texans offense is explosive and they can strike quickly with Andre Johnson and Steve Slaton. Houston has bogged down in the red zone and the Jaguars must make them go the length of the field to score.
2. Open it up. Teams have stacked the box to stop the run against the Jaguars offense and they need to be more dynamic in the passing game. They paid big money to David Garrard and Jerry Porter, it?s time to use them.
3. Win special teams. The Jaguars must keep Jacoby Jones from getting a big return and they must get some big returns of their own. Special teams won the first meeting between these two teams, and it may decide this meeting.
4. Get started early. It?s Monday night football and the crowd will be ready to go for Houston. Jacksonville needs to keep them quiet early with some offense.
5. Don?t hold the ball. David Garrard has held the ball entirely too long this season and he must get it out sooner to keep his team in front of the sticks.
What to look for:
1. Look for Rashean Mathis to line up against Andre Johnson. The Jags only chance to stop Johnson is with Mathis, but he still may not be enough.
2. Look for a lot of three-step drops. The Texans live with the short passing, three-step drop offense and look for that to continue.
3. Look for Owen Daniels to step up. The talented Texans tight end has a matchup advantage against any of the Jaguars linebackers.
4. Look for Slaton to get shut down. The dynamic Texans rookie will be a main focus of the Jaguars on Monday night. He should run for less than 60 yards.
5. Look for lots of red. It will be another ?Battle Red Day? for the Texans, and usually that results in a Jaguars loss. Look for the Texans to play some inspired ball.
===========
Jags-Texans: The breakdown
AT STAKE
Nothing of tangible value, but the loser falls into last place in the AFC South. The teams share identical records, having entered the year with lofty goals after promising '08 campaigns.
KEY MATCHUP
Andre Johnson vs Rashean Mathis: The league's leading receiver, Johnson has put up decent numbers against Mathis (5.7 catch average for 70.9 yards per game). But for the most part, the Jags have kept Johnson in check. Look for the Jaguars to provide Mathis with plenty of safety help over the top.
PAST 5 MEETINGS
Sept. 28, 2008: JAGUARS 30, Texans 27 (OT)
Dec. 30, 2007: TEXANS 42, Jaguars 28
Oct. 14, 2007: JAGUARS 37, Texans 17
Nov. 12, 2006: Texans 13, JAGUARS 10
Oct. 22, 2006: TEXANS 27, Jaguars 7
Home team in CAPS
============
Jaguars: Win or hit bottom
Frustrated division foes in battle to avoid cellar.
- Playing for first place, that's one thing.
Playing to avoid sole possession of last place, well, that's where the Jaguars (4-7) and Texans (4-7) find themselves tonight at Reliant Stadium in front of a national audience on Monday Night Football.
"It still ought to be a heck of a game," Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said.
Hey, motivation has to come from somewhere, right?
But this isn't the situation envisioned by either team when the 2008 NFL schedules went out. Coming off a franchise-best 8-8 season, the Texans thought this year they'd have a legitimate shot at making playoffs. The Jaguars, meanwhile, were fresh off an 11-5 campaign and a postseason berth looking to make a push toward the Super Bowl.
Both clubs whiffed.
"Yeah, I know we both should be doing a lot better right now. We expected that," Houston linebacker DeMeco Ryans said. "[We're] two good teams, I think, and expected a lot of ourselves on both sides. So, of course, we would love to have better records, but it is what it is now and we're just looking at going and winning the next one."
That seems to be all either team can do.
But to up the ante, the Texans - as usual - chose the Jaguars as the opponent to kick off their annual Battle Red Day promotion.
It's the fifth consecutive year the teams have matched up for the promotion, in which Houston will wear its red alternative jerseys.
The Texans, hosting their first Monday night game in franchise history, started the Battle Red Day tradition in 2003 and are 6-2 in those games, including 3-1 against the Jaguars.
"They're going to be in their battle red, it'll be a Monday night game," Del Rio said. "Guys get excited for the opportunity to play under the lights with a national audience."
Neither team has shown much promise to their local audience.
Hurricane Ike forced the Texans to become the only team to start the season with three consecutive road games and the club played its first four games - all losses - against teams coming off postseason berths. In addition, the Texans lost starting quarterback Matt Schaub in the second quarter of their eighth game, and are 1-3 record in his absence.
The Jaguars endured problems of their own. At the end of training camp, backup offensive tackle Richard Collier was gunned down and paralyzed from the waist down. The club lost starting center Brad Meester in training camp and watched starting guards Vince Manuwai and Maurice Williams go down in Week 1 to season-ending injuries.
Prior to that, receivers Reggie Williams (knee) and Jerry Porter (hamstring) underwent surgeries that slowed them early in the season.
"It's two teams that have some talented players, have some talented coaches that I'm sure had designs on having better things occur this year," Del Rio said. "We both find ourselves at 4-7."
But what makes the game a little more appealing is the rivalry that has developed between the teams. In 13 meetings, the Texans hold a 7-6 advantage and enter tonight's game with the NFL's No. 4 offense.
Led by Andre Johnson, the league's leading receiver (81 catches, 1,071 yards, 3 TDs) and promising rookie running back Steve Slaton (774 yards, 6 TDs), the Texans see this game as a chance to change the national perception of the franchise, which has yet to experience a winning season.
"Somehow against Jacksonville there's this little rivalry. I don't know what it is," Johnson said. "Every time we play it's like we're playing against that high school rivalry or that college rivalry."
Added Ryans: "People really don't know who we are, don't know the type of players we have here. For us, it's a chance to showcase and show people what the Houston Texans are all about."
For the Jaguars, it's time "to go play for the love of the game for all the right reasons," Del Rio said. "We'll definitely head down that road now."
1. Limit big plays. The Texans offense is explosive and they can strike quickly with Andre Johnson and Steve Slaton. Houston has bogged down in the red zone and the Jaguars must make them go the length of the field to score.
2. Open it up. Teams have stacked the box to stop the run against the Jaguars offense and they need to be more dynamic in the passing game. They paid big money to David Garrard and Jerry Porter, it?s time to use them.
3. Win special teams. The Jaguars must keep Jacoby Jones from getting a big return and they must get some big returns of their own. Special teams won the first meeting between these two teams, and it may decide this meeting.
4. Get started early. It?s Monday night football and the crowd will be ready to go for Houston. Jacksonville needs to keep them quiet early with some offense.
5. Don?t hold the ball. David Garrard has held the ball entirely too long this season and he must get it out sooner to keep his team in front of the sticks.
What to look for:
1. Look for Rashean Mathis to line up against Andre Johnson. The Jags only chance to stop Johnson is with Mathis, but he still may not be enough.
2. Look for a lot of three-step drops. The Texans live with the short passing, three-step drop offense and look for that to continue.
3. Look for Owen Daniels to step up. The talented Texans tight end has a matchup advantage against any of the Jaguars linebackers.
4. Look for Slaton to get shut down. The dynamic Texans rookie will be a main focus of the Jaguars on Monday night. He should run for less than 60 yards.
5. Look for lots of red. It will be another ?Battle Red Day? for the Texans, and usually that results in a Jaguars loss. Look for the Texans to play some inspired ball.
===========
Jags-Texans: The breakdown
AT STAKE
Nothing of tangible value, but the loser falls into last place in the AFC South. The teams share identical records, having entered the year with lofty goals after promising '08 campaigns.
KEY MATCHUP
Andre Johnson vs Rashean Mathis: The league's leading receiver, Johnson has put up decent numbers against Mathis (5.7 catch average for 70.9 yards per game). But for the most part, the Jags have kept Johnson in check. Look for the Jaguars to provide Mathis with plenty of safety help over the top.
PAST 5 MEETINGS
Sept. 28, 2008: JAGUARS 30, Texans 27 (OT)
Dec. 30, 2007: TEXANS 42, Jaguars 28
Oct. 14, 2007: JAGUARS 37, Texans 17
Nov. 12, 2006: Texans 13, JAGUARS 10
Oct. 22, 2006: TEXANS 27, Jaguars 7
Home team in CAPS
============
Jaguars: Win or hit bottom
Frustrated division foes in battle to avoid cellar.
- Playing for first place, that's one thing.
Playing to avoid sole possession of last place, well, that's where the Jaguars (4-7) and Texans (4-7) find themselves tonight at Reliant Stadium in front of a national audience on Monday Night Football.
"It still ought to be a heck of a game," Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said.
Hey, motivation has to come from somewhere, right?
But this isn't the situation envisioned by either team when the 2008 NFL schedules went out. Coming off a franchise-best 8-8 season, the Texans thought this year they'd have a legitimate shot at making playoffs. The Jaguars, meanwhile, were fresh off an 11-5 campaign and a postseason berth looking to make a push toward the Super Bowl.
Both clubs whiffed.
"Yeah, I know we both should be doing a lot better right now. We expected that," Houston linebacker DeMeco Ryans said. "[We're] two good teams, I think, and expected a lot of ourselves on both sides. So, of course, we would love to have better records, but it is what it is now and we're just looking at going and winning the next one."
That seems to be all either team can do.
But to up the ante, the Texans - as usual - chose the Jaguars as the opponent to kick off their annual Battle Red Day promotion.
It's the fifth consecutive year the teams have matched up for the promotion, in which Houston will wear its red alternative jerseys.
The Texans, hosting their first Monday night game in franchise history, started the Battle Red Day tradition in 2003 and are 6-2 in those games, including 3-1 against the Jaguars.
"They're going to be in their battle red, it'll be a Monday night game," Del Rio said. "Guys get excited for the opportunity to play under the lights with a national audience."
Neither team has shown much promise to their local audience.
Hurricane Ike forced the Texans to become the only team to start the season with three consecutive road games and the club played its first four games - all losses - against teams coming off postseason berths. In addition, the Texans lost starting quarterback Matt Schaub in the second quarter of their eighth game, and are 1-3 record in his absence.
The Jaguars endured problems of their own. At the end of training camp, backup offensive tackle Richard Collier was gunned down and paralyzed from the waist down. The club lost starting center Brad Meester in training camp and watched starting guards Vince Manuwai and Maurice Williams go down in Week 1 to season-ending injuries.
Prior to that, receivers Reggie Williams (knee) and Jerry Porter (hamstring) underwent surgeries that slowed them early in the season.
"It's two teams that have some talented players, have some talented coaches that I'm sure had designs on having better things occur this year," Del Rio said. "We both find ourselves at 4-7."
But what makes the game a little more appealing is the rivalry that has developed between the teams. In 13 meetings, the Texans hold a 7-6 advantage and enter tonight's game with the NFL's No. 4 offense.
Led by Andre Johnson, the league's leading receiver (81 catches, 1,071 yards, 3 TDs) and promising rookie running back Steve Slaton (774 yards, 6 TDs), the Texans see this game as a chance to change the national perception of the franchise, which has yet to experience a winning season.
"Somehow against Jacksonville there's this little rivalry. I don't know what it is," Johnson said. "Every time we play it's like we're playing against that high school rivalry or that college rivalry."
Added Ryans: "People really don't know who we are, don't know the type of players we have here. For us, it's a chance to showcase and show people what the Houston Texans are all about."
For the Jaguars, it's time "to go play for the love of the game for all the right reasons," Del Rio said. "We'll definitely head down that road now."
