The Jacksonville Jaguars are playing this week in their home city away from home when they host the Houston Texans at Wembley Stadium in London. The Jaguars are the most common visitor to venues across the pond and are playing their second straight game in London. Last week, they used up one of their miracle wins when they edged the Philadelphia Eagles at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a last second field goal, 19-17.
The victory kept the Jaguars firmly in first place in the AFC South Division over three division foes that don’t have a winning record. The Jaguars have won four of their first five games, their only setback a narrow loss to the Denver Broncos on the road.
The rest of the AFC South has struggled. The Indianapolis Colts have won twice in five starts while the Houston Texans got their first win of the season last week over the Tennessee Titans, who are winless in five decisions.
The Texans are the best team in football with only one win. They have lost a number of close games to quality opponents in which they had a chance to win all but one of their losses at the end but failed. On opening day, they had driven into the redzone late in the fourth quarter while trailing the Bills by five points and then suffered a turnover.
After losing by two touchdowns on their home field to the Cincinnati Bengals in second week action, they allowed a last-minute touchdown to get edged in Dallas by the Cowboys, 34-31. The following week, at Indianapolis, they suffered a last second Colts field goal that edged them by two points, 19-17.
Close games, but four losses to open the season. This is rugged terrain for a team that hopes to land a playoff date in January. Only one team in NFL history, the 1992 San Diego Chargers, earned a postseason berth after losing their first four games. Last year, the Texans opened with three losses over the first four weeks and did go on to not only qualify but opened the playoffs with a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.