Gardner Minshew and the Jacksonville Jaguars fell one yard short of the upset on Sunday, as a failed two-point conversion handed them a 13-12 loss to the Houston Texans in Week 2.
PFF's ReFocused series features immediate takeaways from the two analysts who graded the game live. The two offer a detailed breakdown of the game's most notable performances before the grades and advanced stats are reviewed and finalized by Senior Analysts.
All of PFF's grades and advanced stats from this game and the other games played this week will be finalized and made available to ELITE subscribers within 24 hours of the final whistle. ELITE subscribers can view player grades, advanced statistics, positional snap counts and more in Premium Stats.
PFF's ELITE subscribers can also preview NFL and NCAA games in PFF Greenline, an online dashboard with projections for the spread, totals and moneyline.
Final Score
Houston Texans 13, Jacksonville Jaguars 12
Houston Texans
Deshaun Watson didn't have a strong outing against Jacksonville. While he did have multiple big-time throws, he was off target with several throws and took a number of unnecessary hits from the pocket.
Houston's offensive line struggled in pass protection all game long. Rookie left guard Tytus Howard struggled in both the run game and as a pass-blocker, surrounding multiple pressures and tackles for little to no gain. Veteran defensive lineman Calais Campbell was a nightmare for the rookie Alabama State product.
No Clowney? No problem. JJ Watt and Whitney Mercilus were terrors on the edge, each notching a number of pressures on the quarterback. Mercilus' strip-sack recovered by Watt led directly to Houston's game-winning touchdown.
The Houston secondary did not have a great afternoon, as they struggled with the size and physicality of Jacksonville's outside targets. Not only did they give up a number of pass plays downfield in the fourth quarter, but they also missed a significant number of tackles in space.
Rookie Takeaways
As mentioned above, Howard really struggled in this one. He's still a ways away from being a capable starter in the NFL.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Jalen Ramsey performed well above expectation considering the fact that he shadowed DeAndre Hopkins in the contest. Ramsey limited Hopkins to short gains early on and really kept him quiet in the second half.
Second-year Vandy cornerback Tre Herndon was a different story. He gave up a couple of big throws down the sideline to Will Fuller in the contest.
The offensive line struggled throughout the day, as they couldn't sustain blocks and took multiple holding and false start penalties. Will Richardson Jr. had a particularly rough day in his second-straight start at left tackle. He could not handle the speed of the Texans' pass-rushers off the edge.
Leonard Fournette continues to disappoint, as he was indecisive with his cuts at the line of scrimmage and was unable to break tackles unless he had a head of steam in the open field. The two-point conversion miss was particularly tough to swallow.
Minshew wasn't fantastic against Houston, but he did finish the game with multiple big-time throws and no turnover-worthy plays. He needed more help from his supporting cast to come out of this game with a win.
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.