The Texans’ pass rush just got handed a major opening heading into Week 6.
Ahead of Houston’s matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium, NFL insiders Ian Rapoport and Jeremy Fowler reported that Jaguars left tackle Anton Harrison is expected to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery. That could keep him out anywhere from 3-5 weeks on injured reserve to 3-4 months, which would push the injury into season-ending territory.
For a Houston defense that already lives in the backfield, that’s a huge development.
Jacksonville has done a solid job protecting Trevor Lawrence through five games, ranking tied for ninth-fewest sacks allowed in the NFL with 10. But losing Harrison changes the picture fast, especially against a Texans front that enters Week 6 with the second-most sacks in the league at 18, trailing only the Detroit Lions’ 20.
At the center of that surge is All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson Jr., who leads the NFL with 7.5 sacks and also owns the league lead with 12 tackles for loss. That kind of production gives Houston a real chance to make life miserable for a Jacksonville line suddenly dealing with a major absence.
The Jaguars have started fast in 2026, but this injury could shift the tone of Sunday morning’s London game in a hurry. Houston may be hanging around its Super Bowl hopes, and a break like this could matter a lot when the two teams take the field.
There’s also a clear blueprint already out there.
Jacksonville’s lone loss came in Week 2 against the Denver Broncos, and Lawrence was under steady pressure all day. He was sacked twice, hit seven times, completed 17 of 29 passes for 189 yards, and finished with a 63.7 passer rating in Denver’s 20-13 win.
That game didn’t just produce a loss - it showed what happens when Lawrence gets forced off his spot. Pressure changes everything. Timing disappears, mistakes creep in, and even a game that looks manageable can turn on a few snaps.
That’s why Harrison’s absence matters so much for this matchup. The Texans don’t have the defensive line of a 1-4 team, and now they have an even cleaner path to proving it in London.
In Other News...
Texans Landed Marvin Harrison Jr As Strange Cardinals Rift Emerges
Houston spent part of the offseason looking to add more punch to its passing game, and now it has a major name to build around. Marvin Harrison Jr. is officially headed to the Texans from Arizona in a deal that sends a second-round pick and additional Day 3 selections to the Cardinals, a move that gives Houston a high-profile target with plenty still left to prove after a quieter second season in the desert.
For Arizona, the trade closes a tense chapter that never seemed to settle into the expected rhythm. Harrisons production dipped in year two, and the backdrop around his time with the Cardinals included a reported disagreement over a workout machine purchase, one of those odd little details that can take on outsized meaning when a relationship starts to fray. Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort thanked Harrison in a statement and wished him well, while Houston now gets to see whether a fresh start can unlock the player both sides envisioned. [Read more 🡒]
C.J. Stroud Sees One Big Challenge For Texans New Weapon
C.J. Stroud did not hide his excitement about Houston adding Marvin Harrison Jr., a move that instantly changes the look of the Texans passing game. The quarterback spoke highly of Harrisons route-running, work ethic and character, and he sees the receiver as someone who can grow into one of the NFLs best if everything clicks around him.
For Stroud, though, the biggest hurdle is not talent. It is the adjustment that comes with a new locker room and a new offense, the kind of transition every receiver has to absorb before the production follows. For Houston, that means the early focus will be on getting Harrison comfortable and up to speed, because the upside is obvious once he settles in. [Read more 🡒]
Texans May Have A Long Term WR Target Worth Watching
Houstons wide receiver room has been taking plenty of hits, and that makes the long view around the position worth tracking a little more closely than usual. One name already standing out in that conversation is Jeremiah Smith, the Ohio State receiver who has quickly become one of the most intriguing prospects in the 2027 NFL Draft conversation.
Smith is leading the Buckeyes in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns, and evaluators are pointing to the kind of size, speed and route-running skill set that can translate to the next level. For a Texans team still working through instability and injuries at receiver, he looks like the sort of player worth keeping on the radar well before draft season really starts to heat up. [Read more 🡒]