Jaguars, Trevor Lawrence could be catching Texans at good time

Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars were struggling before injury sidelined him for two games. But Jacksonville’s two games with Mac Jones were its two worst offensive performances of the year.

So, needless to say, Doug Pederson was especially happy to see Lawrence return to practice on Monday, shaking off the pain in his left/non-throwing shoulder. The Jaguars (2-9) are fresh off their bye week and preparing to host a struggling Texans club (7-5) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, FOX).

Prior to the bye, Pederson not only had to deal with the loss of Lawrence but also rumors about his job security. Give the head coach credit because he’s fighting through the challenge.

“Each day I walk into this building, I choose not to let it get me down,” Pederson said Monday, per John Oehser of Jaguars.com. “I choose to be energetic around the football team. I choose a message each week that I feel is important that the guys need to hear, that applies to keys to victory, and different things that we do throughout the course of the week – things we talk about as a team as the week progresses.”

Hoping his team can make progress, Pederson confirmed he’s made several changes but won’t reveal them just yet. He also said Lawrence could return to the lineup on Sunday and will know more as the week goes on. For now, Pederson is choosing the positive mindset.

“I know there’s a lot of negativity around us, and rightfully so. We understand that. Around me, I understand that. I choose not to listen to it and I choose to go the other way and be positive, because you only get so many days and so many opportunities in this league, and then your days are done. When they’re done, you look back and you go, ‘Hey, I gave it everything I had – to these players, to this team, to this league.’ That’s what I choose. I choose to go out every single day and try to make a difference for this team.”

One player making a difference for the Jaguars is wide receiver Brian Thomas. Despite catching passes from two starting quarterbacks, Thomas ranks second among NFL rookies with five receiving touchdowns and third with 689 receiving yards. This week, Thomas can become the third Jaguars rookie all-time to reach 700 receiving yards, following Justin Blackmon (865 in 2012) and Keelan Cole (748 in 2017).

In Jacksonville, Houston has defeated the Jaguars in six straight meetings, a streak that includes three Jaguars head coaches, Doug Marrone, Darrell Bevell and Pederson. But this year, the Jaguars are catching a Texans team that has lost four of its past six, including an AFC South setback last week at home against Tennessee. C.J. Stroud is in a sophomore slump. His 87.3 passer rating ranks 25th in the league among qualified passers. Only Caleb Williams (44) has been sacked more than Stroud (39) this season.

For more information on the Jaguars and Texans, visit the Jacksonville and Houston team pages at ProFootballPost.com.