Jacksonville Jaguars: 5 Players that must shine vs. Texans in Week 2
By Larry Brake
3. D.J. Hayden
The Jaguars defensive secondary will face another talented set of receivers in Houston. They added the talented Kenny Stills prior to Houston’s first game from Miami. D.J. Hayden must shine as he covers Stills on Sunday.
The Jaguars trio of cornerbacks will have a tough job containing the passing attack. Jalen Ramsey will shut down DeAndre Hopkins. A.J. Bouye will shadow Will Fuller. Hayden must contain Stills.
The Texans passing game will be limited to short underneath routes. The modern passing philosophy is too explosive to totally shut down. Jacksonville must not allow short passes to become long touchdowns like Sammy Watkins was able to do.
Hayden must be aware of pick pass routes by other Texans receivers to free Stills for long gains. Although rarely called by the NFL officials, every team actively employs them in their offensive game plan.
Houston will test Hayden early in the game. He must not get lost in traffic across the middle of the field. He must shine in Houston by staying with his coverage assignment.
The game could be a repeat from Week 1 if Houston is able to exploit the pass defense. The secondary must clamp down in coverage and make sure tackles.