Five Good Texans Questions of Big Cat Country

Gus Logue of Big Cat Country joins BRB for five questions.

It has come down to this. A November contest between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans could very well decide the AFC South. If the Jaguars win then they will have a two game lead with six games left. If the Texans win they will be tied with the Jaguars in the standings with the tiebreaker firmly in their pocket. Knowing this, both teams are desperate to come away with a victory.

Even though the two teams are fighting on the field doesn’t mean that those of us covering the teams have to fight off of it. We are one big happy family here at SB Nation and we decided to tap into Gus Logue and his knowledge of all things Jaguars football. The conversation got started around the quarterbacks as they usually do.

Battle Red Blog: Trevor Lawrence appears to have had an up and down season despite the Jags overall success. What can you tell us from the inside that we may not see from the outside? How much of this is on him versus his teammates? Coaches? Injuries?

Gus Logue: Three key knee injuries have handicapped the offense. Trevor Lawrence’s injury hindered his mobility and affected some mechanics; Zay Jones’ injury forced players like return man Jamal Agnew and undrafted rookie Elijah Cooks into three-receiver sets; and Walker Little’s injury hasn’t helped Jacksonville’s interior blocking woes.

Fortunately, last week was a major get-right game for the Jaguars. Lawrence had two rushing touchdowns, Jones’ presence helped open Calvin Ridley up for two more scores, and Little didn’t allow a single pressure. I think we’ll see 16 hit a different gear in the second half of the season, similar to last year.

BRB: This past week saw the resurgence of Calvin Ridley (seven catches, 103 yards, two TD) in the Jaguar offense. Is he ready to take off or do you think this is kind of a week to week thing where someone different goes off each week?

GL: It’s definitely more of a week-to-week thing where someone different goes off each game. Lawrence said after last Sunday, “Honestly with the guys that we have and the plan every week, sometimes it’s hard to tell who is going to have the big week, we got stuff for everybody.”

I would certainly expect Ridley to be the Jaguars’ leading receiver for the remainder of the season. That said, I think Christian Kirk and Evan Engram could draw the most targets this week with Denzel Perryman out.

BRB: We usually ask about players that fans may not be familiar with but being division rivals changes that some. Who are some players that are playing a lot better since the last time these two teams met?

GL: Jacksonville’s offense has declined if anything due to the aforementioned injuries, but two second-year defenders have shown serious strides this season. Devin Lloyd was a disappointing first-round rookie last year, but in Year 2 with fellow linebacker Foye Oluokun and defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell, Lloyd’s play has helped turn around the entire defense. Montaric “Buster” Brown also deserves a nod for his performances in lieu of Tyson Campbell (battling a hamstring injury).

I’ll throw in Brandon McManus as well. He missed two field goals earlier this year against Houston, but the 32-year-old kicker has nailed all 20 of his other attempts. Jacksonville ranks first in special teams DVOA on the season, so you can expect a bounce-back game from that unit after the Week 3 debacle, albeit Agnew is now on injured reserve.

BRB: Usually ask about the division race, but it seems pretty clear that this game could be huge in the race for the division title. So, how about a little fun? Which team in the AFC South do you and most Jaguars fans enjoy beating the most (it’s okay if it’s us)?

GL: It is absolutely, unequivocally the Tennessee Titans. Maybe the Jaguars and Texans never developed an intense rivalry because they’re such young franchises (and are two of four teams to never reach a Super Bowl). Nobody around here really likes the Colts, but Peyton Manning hassled this team for so long that we just don’t pay Indy much attention. But there is real hatred when it comes to the Titans. In the best season of this great franchise’s history (1999), Jacksonville went 0-3 against Tennessee and 15-0 against every other team.

Josh Allen told media last week, “This is the first game I was told about [when I first arrived here] that, ‘We don’t like these guys and they don’t like us.’” He blatantly said last year, ”I hate them.” So, yeah, last Sunday’s results felt pretty good.

BRB: DraftKings has the Jaguars opening up as very slight favorites (+1). Essentially that makes this a pick em’ game. So who are you picking? Are there any prop bets you feel comfortable recommending this time around?

GL: I like Jacksonville’s chances on Sunday. Everything that seemingly could go wrong did go wrong for the Jaguars in Week 3, and I feel a lot better about the offense after last week. C.J. Stroud and DeMeco Ryans deserve all the praise coming their way but I think the Jaguars will be motivated to prove themselves as the best roster in the division. It’s possible I just have teal goggles on and am dreading the quarterback discourse next week if Houston wins.

As for a prop, I like Devin Singletary’s under for rushing yards.

We want to thank Gus for joining us for five questions. The Jaguars and Texans are developing quite the rivalry as they appear to be the class of the AFC South this season. We hope that Gus and his family had a Happy Thanksgiving and we want to wish him and the Jaguars the best of luck the rest of the way. For the Jaguars, we hope that luck begins on Monday.