Three Bold Predictions That Could Shape Texans vs. Jaguars

In the process of the Texans' loss from last week against the Denver Broncos, Nico Collins found a ton of looks his way from the combination of C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills on the day. In all, he had seven catches on 11 total targets for 75 yards in his first game back from concussion protocol, turning out to be one of the more productive days he's had all season.

Now that Mills is set to take the start this week against Jacksonville, that trend of feeding Collins could and should continue to be a focal point of this offense in a game that they'll be without one of their key difference-makers on that side of the ball.

Collins made a strong first impression against Jacksonville earlier this season in Week 3, and while Stroud isn't in the picture, those same holes in the secondary could be there to capitalize on.

The Texans’ star wideout should be getting touches early and often in the short and medium passing game from Mills, and in turn, can hope to bring the necessary spark for this up-and-down Houston offense to be successful without their starting quarterback.

2. Jakobi Meyers Falls Flat in Jaguars Debut

Jakobi Meyers won't have it easy in his first game as a Jaguar going against the NFL's number-one scoring defense through nine weeks.

Houston's been largely effective in stopping opposing receivers from exposing them throughout the first part of this season, having just two wideouts logging over 75 yards on them in eight games: Puka Nacua in Week 1, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba in Week 7; so it's a pretty exclusive club of pass-catchers.

Will Meyers be the third wide receiver to accomplish that feat against the Texans? Maybe the lack of Houston's starting nickel Jalen Pitre in the lineup could make a difference, but based on their track record this season, it'd be easy to bet against it.

3. Christian Kirk Scores First TD of Texans Tenure

Christian Kirk has still been awaiting his opportunity to break out for the Texans, in large part due to the frequent early season injuries he's suffered. However, he'll have a good chance to find his stride against his former team this weekend.

Last week against Denver, Kirk stormed back into the Texans receiving corps following his hamstring injury to tie as Houston's second-most targeted pass-catcher behind only Nico Collins, winding up with four catches for 26 yards.

That was against a stout Broncos defense. This time, they'll have a softer, though respectable, Jaguars secondary on tap. Seeing Kirk touch pay dirt for the first time this year for a statement against the team that dealt him away this summer probably isn't out of the question if those frequent targets come his way once again.