The AFC South features two teams looking to get into the win column for Week 3. The Jacksonville Jaguars took a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, but the Houston Texans are searching for win No. 1.
Houston leads the series 31-15 overall. But the Texans are spiraling though as one of three winless teams needing a victory.
Jacksonville, meanwhile, presents a new matchup for CJ Stroud. Which leads off our bold predictions.
Travis Hunter will pick off CJ Stroud
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A Stroud-Hunter pairing would’ve been fun to watch.
Well, NFL fans will see Stroud and Hunter connect — except Hunter’s on the other side.
Liam Coen is smartly allowing Hunter to go both ways like he did at Colorado. Expect Hunter to line up across from the All-Pro quarterback.
Stroud took better care of the ball despite the loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But Hunter’s knowledge of wide receiver routes will get him to jump on at least one Stroud pass.
Brian Thomas Jr. will redeem himself
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Thomas is enduring a sophomore slump through two games.
He only caught one pass for 11 yards in Week 1. Thomas managed to lift his numbers against the Bengals, but only four catches and 49 yards.
Thomas, though, can capitalize on his Week 2 performance. And pull it off against a team he had success with. Even though Thomas is currently dealing with a wrist ailment that suddenly limited him Thursday.
He caught six passes and 86 yards in the first meeting, then grabbed four catches for 76 in the second contest.
Thomas can redeem himself from the slow 2025 start by going against a team he did well against.
Nico Collins & Travis Hunter will be an epic battle
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Hunter gets a big matchup here with one of the bigger matchups he’ll face.
This will be a great lineup for Hunter, regardless of how many times the past Heisman winner will be on the defensive side.
Collins caught three passes for 52 yards in the Monday Night Football loss. Hunter looks bound to line up across the All-Pro.
Colins-Hunter rises as a great test for the latter. This gives Hunter a chance to see how he matches up against one of the better matchup problems in the league. If Hunter bottles him, it’ll signify how he’s on his way to stardom as a cornerback.
Will the Jaguars drop the Texans to 0-3?
Houston enters as a narrow 1.5-point favorite. They’ve never started 0-3 ever in the era of DeMeco Ryans.
Trevor Lawrence, meanwhile, has a new weapon in Hunter. He also still has Travis Etienne out of his backfield, who’s already at 214 rushing yards.
Houston, though, looks way too talented to fall to 0-3. It’s officially a must-win contest for the Texans. All the more reason they narrowly take this one 23-20.
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