Jags and Texans set to battle across the pond

Drew McDonald, Sports Editor

Minshew Mania is going international as the (4-4) Jacksonville Jaguars take on the (5-3) Houston Texans in London in a pivotal division matchup. 

Coming off a 25-19 home win against the New York Jets last week, the Jaguars are looking to extend their winning streak to three games against quarterback Deshaun Watson’s squad from the lonestar state. 

The Texans squeaked out a 27-24 win last week against the Oakland Raiders as DeAndre Hopkins torched the Raiders’ secondary with 11 receptions for 109 yards. 

Keys to the game

How will the Texans defensive line work without J.J. Watt?

The five-time Pro Bowler and three-time Defensive Player of the Year will miss the rest of the season after tearing a muscle in his chest last week. Without Watt, the Texans are losing a huge element of their pass rush.

The Bouye-Hopkins matchup

With Jalen Ramsey joining Blake Bortles in Los Angeles, cornerback A.J. Bouye has been at the top of the depth chart and will be matching up with Hopkins. It will be intriguing to see how Bouye will fare as he faces off against his former teammate for four quarters.  

What’s new for Minshew?

The mustachioed machismo has a second chance at taking down the Texans this season. The Jags lost to the Texans in week two, 13-12, after Houston sealed the deal on a major stop late in the game. Seven weeks later and Minshew has an impressive 13:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio and has built himself a case to be considered this year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. 

Kickoff is set for 9:30 a.m. EST as fans may need to make their morning coffee a tad earlier than usual this week. 

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