Jacksonville Jaguars: 3 Bold predictions vs. Texans, Week 2

1. Gardner Minshew plays well against Houston

The mustache is ready for center stage in Houston. Minshew was amazingly accurate with his passes in Week 1. He  completed 88 percent of his passes against Kansas City. He completed 22 of 25 passes for 275 yards with two touchdowns. He hit D.J. Chark for a 69-yard completion. He finished the game with a quarterback rating of 122.5.

In Houston, Minshew will actively participate in the offensive game plan. Remember, he played the gameplan designed for Foles in Week 1. Expect John DeFilippo to build the offensive strategy around Minshew’s strengths.

In Week 1, Jacksonville threw the ball 33 times. They ran the ball 16 times. The Jaguars will tweak that ratio in favor of running Fournette more than 16 times, in Houston.

In fact, there might be a subtle move towards a similar type of offense that Minshew ran in college.  He ran Mike Leach’s version of the air raid offense at Washington State. This would force the Texans defense to defend the entire field.

How will you notice that subtle change? Certain formations will become prominent while others fade into the background. Instead of seeing power formations, you will see more receivers slit out across the field. Houston will not be able to stack the box to stop Fournette. He routinely sees an eight-man defensive front. It’s very difficult for six men to block eight on a regular basis.

Jacksonville’s offensive adaption will force Houston into more zone coverage. This creates wide-open windows for the receivers and frees Fournette to run wild. Minshew thrives in this type of offense. Jacksonville wins this game but it will be a hard fought game. All three predictions are bold but will happen.