Brett Davis-US PRESSWIRE
The Houston Texans face the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2. The strength of the Jaguars over the past few years has been running back Maurice Jones-Drew a dangerous runner. Jones-Drew comes into this year with three consecutive 1,000 yard seasons and has never averaged less than 4.2 yards per carry over the course of a season. This is a workhorse back the has been a force for his team throughout his career. There are three reasons that Jones-Drew could have a monster game against the Texans.
The first issues is that the Texans play a 3-4 defense which by scheme is susceptible to the run. The reason is that the 3-4 only uses three lineman at the point of attack and has a little more room for the running back to roam. A 4-3 defense would have an extra man up front and would be able to occupy more blockers. In week1 against the Miami Dolphins the defense was struggling to stop the rushing attach going right up the center of the defense.
The second reason the Texans may struggle against Jones-Drew is the play of linebacker Bradie James. The inside of that defense is manned by linebackers James and Brian Cushing. Up to this point Cushing has been a strong defender for the Texans making tackles and getting pressure on the quarterback. The weak point has been free agent acquisition James that has not been as solid as expected. He has been slow in pass coverage and has not been a force at the line of scrimmage. In order to contain Jones-Drew the Texans need their linebackers making plays and flying all over the field.
Third is quite simple, the Jaguars do not have any proven talent on the offense besides Jone-Drew. Possibly the team has some other players that can become play-makers for the team such as Blaine Gabbert, Laurent Robinson and Justin Blackmon. As it stands the Jaguars will have to lean on Jones-Drew if they hope to be successful. If Jones-Drew has a good game the Jaguars have a chance to steal this game.
This article is by Joe Serenka, Rant Sports Houston Texans Blogger. You can see more of his articles at http://www.rantsports.com/nfl/author/joeserenka/ and you can follow him on twitter @Texansblogster
