(10-08-2020, 12:04 PM)TheDogCatcher Wrote:

(10-08-2020, 10:21 AM)NeptuneBeachBum Wrote: I love the optimism.  But it ain't happening against Houston.  MAYBE Detroit, but Houston is gonna WAX us.  They are excited BOB is gone and will play hard for Romeo.  And they are just more talented than we are.

I'd challenge that. Houston may be more talented, but it's not a huge deficit. You can argue that Jax's offense is just as talented at the skill positions and O-line, particularly if Linder returns. QB this year is not a huge win for Texans as Watson is out of sorts without Hopkins and Minshew is ascending. 

Defense... Watts & Mercilus make their defense better on paper, but outside of that who else qualifies as more than just a guy?

Well, the great thing about your challenge is we will find out this weekend.  We are currently 6.5 point underdogs... I'll give you 9.  You are forgetting Houston opened up with the hardest schedule in the League.  We have played 2 bottom feeders and lost.  It was fortunate we played Indy in COVID Week 1 with no pre-season games... they were flat and we took advantage of it.  And I like Minshew, but he is not Watson.  They have WAY more depth at receiver than we do (Will Fuller, Brandin Cooks, Randall Cobb, Kenny Stills) but trading Hopkins definitely hurt them.  RB, TE, and O-line are similar.  I predicted a lower scoring game at 27-17, but that was me being optimistic.

The Houston D is nothing special, but they are more talented than we are.  Zac Cunningham is perhaps their best player (he just got a huge contract) and underrated at inside LB, while the other ILB, Bernardrick McKinney, was in the Pro Bowl 2 years ago.  Justin Reid is better than anyone we have at safety.  Bradley Roby is better than any corner we have.  I'm not saying they are world beaters at all, but they much better than what we have.

---