Texans vs. Jaguars: Looking at the advanced numbers

We haven't done it in a while, mostly because it was just so depressing to look at the grades from Pro Football Focus each week, but since the bye week the Jacksonville Jaguars have looked like a different team. Such as, we'll take a look once again at the advanced grades and see who's playing well and who's not.

Who fared well:

Paul Poslusnzy, LB: Poz had arguably his best game of the season, even though he got lost in coverage a few times against the Houston Texans tight ends. He finished the day with a +2.5 overall grade, the highest of any Jags defender on the day, which was carried by his +2.8 run defense grade. He ended the day with 13 tackles and 6 "stops" (solo defensive tackle which constitutes an offensive failure).

Tyson Alualu, DE: Even though some local media and fans want to cut Alualu, the fact is he's a perfect fit in the Jaguars defensive scheme and does his role well. Alualu was the second highest graded defensive player against the Texans, but oddly enough his +1.4 overall grade was carried by his +1.2 pass rushing grade. Alualu picked up two QB hits and 2 hurries on the night. Even though he doesn't show up on the stat sheet like some people want, he's a big reason why the Jaguars rush defense has been so good since the bye week.

Cameron Bradfield, LT: When Eugene Monroe was traded and Luke Joeckel went down for the season four days later, Jags fans were in a state of panic about an already bad offensive line. To their credit however, Bradfield and Austin Pasztor have stepped up admirably. Bradfield on Thursday finished with the second highest offensive grade at +1.9, carried by his +1.8 pass blocking grade. He gave up just a single QB hurry going up against a tough defensive front.

Who didn't fare so well:

Will Rackley, RG: It's no surprise once again Rackley was the worst graded Jaguars player on Thursday, but I'll defend him a little bit. I think since he's comeback from injury his play has improved dramatically. He's still not "good", but he hasn't been an absolute train wreck like he was earlier in the season. He's still making mistakes, but they're not as prominent as they once were. Rackley ended the game with a -4.5 rating, most of that coming from his -4.4 pass blocking score where he gave up two hurries and a hit.

Dwayne Gratz, CB: While I personally think Grazt played solid on Thursday Night, PFF didn't grade him out so well. He ended up with a -2.9 overall grade, likely getting dinged for a lot of Andre Johnson's production in the second half, even though a lot of his receptions were made over the middle on drag routes and the like. Grade-wise, it was Gratz's worst game of the year.