Houston Texans v. Jaguars: A showdown of defensive prowess

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JACKSONVILLE, FL – DECEMBER 17: Bouye, Church, Gipson of the Jacksonville Jaguars (Photo by Logan Bowles/Getty Images) /

Secondaries with familiar names

Jaguars Starters: Jalen Ramsey, AJ Bouye, Tashaun Gipson, Barry Church

Key Reserves: Ronnie Harrison, Tyler Patmon

This unit is the main reason why Jacksonville’s defense has turned into one of the best in the league. Ramsey is a forced to be reckoned and will be for a long, long time. He’s dominant in coverage, dominant in run defense, and has great hands.

Beyond him, the Jaguars have another stud corner they signed away from the Texans in free agency. Bouye is very talented and he and Ramsey form one of the best duos in the league. Gipson has been very good in all aspects of the game at safety this year. Church is the weakest link of this secondary and even that is slightly hyperbolic.

Harrison is a very promising rookie who has shown a knack for nearly every part of defense this year. Patmon has also been particularly adept in the slot after DJ Hayden went down with an injury early in the season.

Texans Starters: Johnathan Joseph, Kareem Jackson, Tyrann Mathieu, Aaron Colvin

Key Reserves: Justin Reid, Shareece Wright

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The Houston Texans completely retooled their secondary this year. They shifted longtime corner, Jackson, to safety, and brought in Mathieu and Colvin in free agency. Joseph is the only guy manning the same spot this year.

This unit has struggled this year, particularly the corners. Though they have been playing a lot better recently, there is cause for concern this week. Both Colvin and Wright are out with injuries leaving the cupboard bare. In all likelihood, Jackson will have to shift back to corner while Reid gets the majority of the safety snaps alongside Mathieu.

Advantage: Jaguars

This is where Jacksonville has their biggest edge. Their secondary is one of the best in the league. The Texans unit has turned out to be pretty decent but the injuries have decimated the secondary. Texans receivers will be facing the biggest challenge of their season this week.

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These two defenses are very evenly matched. They have different strengths that allow them to be elite but both teams field stout defenses. The winner of this game will likely be the leader of the AFC South after this week. Whichever team’s defense performs better will likely be the winner of this matchup. Hopefully, it’s the Houston Texans.

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Houston Texans v. Jacksonville Jaguars: A showdown of defensive prowess

By T.A. Mock | Oct 20, 2018