Division of the Jacksonville Jaguars against the Houston Texans in the first half

HOUSTON – The Jacksonville Jaguars are fighting with all their might against the Houston Texans and are now going into halftime with a 17:13 deficit.

So what was seen in the first half of the Jaguars vs. Texans game in Houston?

Jaguars need to find an answer for Nico Collins

It’s no surprise that Texas wide receiver Nico Collins is having success early in the game against the Jaguars. He is one of the NFL’s most productive players against man coverage, and the Jaguars have more man coverage than any other team in the NFL. As a result, Collins set the Jaguars on fire with three catches for 49 yards on Houston’s first drive of the game.

The Jaguars lost their two best defensive backs in Darnell Savage and Tyson Campbell, meaning they were always going to be a little ill-equipped to deal with the Texans’ No. 1 receiver in this game. But at some point adjustments have to be made.

Trevor Lawrence and the supporting cast remain up and down

The first quarter of the game perfectly summed up the Jaguars’ problems on offense. There were some good results: The Jaguars scored 10 points after scoring just 40 total points through the first 12 quarters of the season. Trevor Lawrence also made some impressive throws, including a deep out to Christian Kirk on third down. Tank Bigsby also made a big 22-yard run, setting up a field goal.

But the Jaguars also had a lot of missed plays. Lawrence missed an open ball from Brian Thomas Jr. in the end zone before the Jaguars had to kick a field goal, knocking Thomas to the ground despite being several yards away. Kirk also failed to judge a pass on the game’s first drive that would have at least been an explosive gain. Once again, it’s a mix of ups and downs from the Jaguars’ best players, not just one or two.

The Jaguars defense just seems to have lost too many pieces

The Jaguars defense is fighting with all its might, but they may be too tight right now. The Texans chose the Jaguars in the middle of the field, where Jacksonville is missing starting linebackers Foyesade Oluokun and Devin Lloyd and slot cornerback Darnell Savage. Due to Tyson Campbell’s injury, the Jaguars also don’t have a cornerback who can keep up with Collins and Stefon Diggs on a long-term basis.

The Jaguars’ defense is currently built with rubber and tape, and backup players like Montaric Brown, Jarrian Jones, Chad Muma and Ventrell Miller all need to step into key roles. There are no excuses when every team is injured, but Stroud started 9 of 10 for 140 yards for good reason. The Jaguars are currently short of horses.

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