Final thoughts: Texans vs. Jaguars

It’s Tuesday evening, so it’s time for some concluding thoughts on this past Sunday’s game against the Texans before we move on to Detroit. I just finished re-watching the game, and here are my noticeable takeaways, other than the Jags are bad.

• Blake Bortles lost the game: This probably sounds a little harsh, but it’s hard for me to argue with. A lot of the same problems Blake has had all year popped up again on Sunday. The under-thrown ball to Marqise Lee when Lee had a mile of separation from his defender made me sick. All units could have played better, of course, but I truly believe if the Jags had a better quarterback on Sunday they would have won the game.
• TJ Yeldon may have had his best game: See? Not all negative. Yeldon’s contributions weren’t anything to write home about, but I thought he had some nice runs, and at times did a good job of turning nothing into something. He also had some nice catches in the passing game that helped move the chains at times. His YPC wasn’t very good, but I thought he ran aggressively and did a good job of making guys miss. I’m still not fond of Yeldon overall, but I thought he had some positive showings on Sunday.
• Marqise Lee did have his best game: Man, Marqise Lee has really come on lately. No, he's not playing at an elite level. But he is making positive plays for the Jags at all levels of the field. We knew he had speed and was a YAC machine, but he's expanded his repertoire to include making physical plays and grabs. It’s nice to see for a guy who has struggled with injuries.
• Malik Jackson is the best D lineman, and it isn't close: Malik may not have the flashy numbers, and he may have upset some fans with his comments. But make no mistake about, he is producing. He has a knack for finding the backfield and causing disruption. If the Jags had any semblance of a pass rush on the edge, Malik could really shine.
• Speaking of edge rush, meet Dante Fouler: It’s not a typo. If you haven't seen, Dante Fouler is the new nickname some Jags fans have lovingly given to number 56, based on his penchant for accruing bad penalties. Fowler is still struggling to generate any pass rush, but he sure knows how to generate yellow flags!
• Brock Osweiler is bad: Yikes. Not impressive at all. I think it’s pretty safe to say Houston screwed that one up, but it doesn’t matter because the Jaguars are still terrible. The Texans should probably watch out for Mike Mularkey and Tennessee though. I wish that last sentence was a joke, but check the standings.
• Deandre Hopkins is a freak: He didn't have a huge day, but Hopkins makes difficult catches look routine. If he had better quarterback play, he would widely be considered a top 5 wide receiver in the NFL.
• The Jags have no clue how to utilize a tight end: Hays Carlyon of the TU wrote about this today, and it was easy to see re-watching the game. Remember when they signed Julius Thomas and everyone was salivating about seam route TDs for days? Forget that. It’s all 2 and 3 yard routes, baby. Mercedes Lewis is getting the same treatment. On the plus side, Ben Koyack looks like a solid depth guy.
• Myles Jack is ridiculously fast: Did you see him run down Lamar Miller and save a TD? He was FLYING. Our strong side linebacker is faster than our free safety. Dude’s a freak, it’s a shame he doesn't get utilized more.
• Allen Robinson looked like his 2015 self: A Rob might be back! Robinson made several of the difficult grabs on Sunday that got him to the pro bowl last year. His touchdown catch was an absolute thing of beauty (props to Bortles on that play; he evaded pressure, scrambled, and threw it right where it needed to be. Unfortunately, too little too late).
• Jonathan Cyprien still likes to point to the sky.