The Jacksonville Jaguars have, through four weeks, put on film evidence of their improvement from last season to this one, a reality confirmed by their position in the AFC South standings.
The Jaguars (2-2), set to host the Houston Texans (0-3-1) at TIAA Bank Field on Sunday, are tied atop the division with the Tennessee Titans. They have already recorded one intradivision win (Week 2 over the Indianapolis Colts), bludgeoned the Los Angeles Chargers on the road, and their two losses have both come on the road by just one score. The tell-tale signs are apparent.
Within their locker room, the Jaguars are convinced of their development. Considering that Jacksonville has recorded double-digit losses in each of the previous four seasons and 10 out of the last 11, more wins are likely required for the remainder of the NFL to sit up and take notice.
Jacksonville has dropped eight consecutive games to the Texans, and the Jaguars' last division victory against a team other than Indianapolis came Sept. 19, 2019, a 20-7 win over Tennessee.
"It's a really good, competitive division," Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said. "I think the faster teams can start in the division ... obviously an opportunity to get to the postseason is to be able to handle your division games.
"It's another opportunity for our team to take another step forward and grow as a team and also understand that this is a good football team coming in here. It's going to take a really good week of preparation and practice to get that done."
The Texans are the lone remaining winless team in the league but, as Pederson noted, Houston has shown a fair amount of second-half pluck.
After blowing a 17-point, fourth-quarter lead in their season-opening tie with the Colts, the Texans led 9-6 in the third quarter on the road against the Denver Broncos and pulled even on the road in the waning moments of the third quarter against the Chicago Bears in Week 3.
The Texans dropped both of those contests and, after rallying to within three points midway through the fourth quarter after trailing the Chargers 27-7 last Sunday, proved unable to complete that comeback. The Texans' three losses are by a combined 20 points, and their inability to either initiate their offense early or maintain momentum late has been pervasive.
"At the end of the day, it's about starting fast is the name of the game," Texans receiver Brandin Cooks said. "The message to specifically on our side, the offense, being able to start fast like we started in that second half."
For a team that ranks 27th in the NFL in total offense, generating offense early is tied to mustering some measure of confidence. The Texans have struggled mightily in that regard, yet remain hopeful that their recent success against the Jaguars might serve as a benefit Sunday.
"I think historically, at least for the most recent years, the Texans have always handled the Jags efficiently," Texans quarterback Davis Mills said. "We've gotten wins in the recent years, and we want to keep it rolling in the same way."
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