Week 14 of the NFL season kicks off tonight as the Jacksonville Jaguars host the Houston Texans. Ian Eagle, Trent Green and sideline reporter Laura Okmin will have all the action from EverBank Field beginning at 8 PM Eastern. For a preview of the game, Trent Green filed this report:
Let’s be up front about this. We’re not going to try to fool anybody by saying this game has playoff ramifications or sugarcoat the weight of this game from a national perspective. This contest is about two teams with bad records, but which are in completely different situations.
At 2-10, the Texans have lost 10 in a row coming off back-to-back division championships. Houston had high expectations and has a veteran roster that was built to win now. It hasn’t. Since Week 2. Along the offensive line and at the wide receiver position, plus where quarterback Matt Schaub is in his career, they needed to get it done this year. They haven’t and that raises a lot of questions. Is Case Keenum the answer at quarterback? If he isn’t, do you re-sign Schaub or start all over again? Also, there’s the issue of age on both sides of the ball which needs to be addressed. And of course, there’s the elephant in the room. Is Gary Kubiak on the hot seat? A lot of people think so, but I’m not convinced. I think he’s built up enough equity over previous seasons that he’ll get another run at it. I just don’t see the Texans deciding to completely clean house.
For the Jags it’s a different story, coming in with wins in three of their last four games. Just like the Texans, however, their biggest question is who they’re going to have at quarterback. Chad Henne has done a nice job, but he’s not the long-term answer. They’ve also clearly made the decision that former first-round pick Blaine Gabbert isn’t the guy either, so how they decide to use what looks likely to be an early first-round draft pick will be interesting. Do they pick a QB or go out and try to find a veteran free agent? Where the Jaguars differ from Houston is the youth of the team. Jacksonville has a fairly young roster and they are in position to have success going forward. For them, finishing off the season strong would go a long way towards building to the future and what Gus Bradley is trying to get done.
– Trent Green
Former NFL quarterback Trent Green is the analyst for Thursday Night Football on WestwoodOne. Tonight, he’ll be alongside Ian Eagle for the call as the Houston Texans visit the Jacksonville Jaguars. Coverage begins at 8 PM Eastern on WestwoodOne.
