Chirurgie » g to the postseason. The Jaguars (9-4) have

JACKSONVILLE Seantrel Henderson Jersey White , Fla. (AP)Veteran tight end Marcedes Lewis understands the position the Jacksonville Jaguars are in, maybe even better than anyone. Lewis is the lone holdover from Jacksonville’s last playoff team a decade ago. Lewis and the Jaguars lost 102 of 144 games over the nine seasons between 2007 and 2017. So the 12th-year pro has a genuine appreciation for being oh-so-close to returning to the postseason. The Jaguars (9-4) have a clear path to the playoffs: They can clinch a spot by beating Houston (4-9) at home Sunday. No help needed. No scoreboard watching necessary. No confusing scenarios. Win and they’re in. ”You’ve got to take advantage of these situations,” Lewis said. ”It doesn’t just happen. When you have the opportunity to do something like this, you want to be paying close attention to details and just trying to make sure that you’re doing everything that you have to do to get it done because you won’t be able to get it back.” Jacksonville has won six of its last seven games, including an eye-opening, 30-24 victory against perennial playoff contender Seattle last week. The Jaguars controlled the game throughout, and aside from a few big plays by quarterback Russell Wilson late, were nearly flawless. Now, they’re atop the AFC South and closing in on a playoff berth. ”It feels good to be playing for something in December and to still be getting better,” Lewis said. ”We still haven’t played our perfect game yet, and that’s scary. I think we’re getting better at the right time.” Jacksonville’s surprising season started with a 29-7 victory at Houston. The Jags used a 10-sack performance to dominate the Texans in the opener and set the tone for the season. Injury-ravaged Houston will look far from the same in the rematch. Third-string quarterback T.J. Yates will make his first start since Dec. 20, 2015, at Indianapolis. Yates is replacing Tom Savage (concussion), who regained the starting role after dynamic rookie Deshaun Watson (knee) was lost for the season. ”Yeah, there’s no doubt that our game plan this week, in many ways Womens J.J. Watt Jersey , will be different than maybe what you’ve seen the past few weeks,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. ”There’s going to be a lot of differences to it. … There’s all kinds of things that we have to deal with, but we’ll definitely try to put together as good a game plan as we can to deal with all that.” The top priority is finding a way to block the Jaguars, who lead the league with 47 sacks. Houston has allowed 41, fourth most in the NFL. ”It’s definitely going to be a point of emphasis for us,” Yates said. ”We know what type of defense we’re going up against and how talented they are up front and in the back end, so we have to be sharp. Definitely the ball has to come out quick.” Here are some other things to know about the Texans and Jaguars: CLOWNEY’S WORK: Houston defensive end Jadeveon Clowney has put together the best season of his career. It comes with stars J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus out for the season. The top overall pick in the 2014 draft has shaken off the injury-filled start to his career and is second in the NFL with a career-high 20 tackles for losses. He also leads the Texans with a career-best nine sacks. ”He’s a great player, one of the best players in the league at his position, and he can literally, by himself, take over a game,” Jaguars coach Doug Marrone said. ”He can change the course of a game.” KEY MATCHUP: Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins and Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey are the matchup to watch. Ramsey shadowed Hopkins in the opener, holding him to seven catches for 55 yards and a touchdown, and is expected to do the same Sunday. ”Highest-paid receiver, so that should mean you’re one of the top receivers in the league,” Ramsey said. ”I would agree and say he is. He’s been balling Womens Alfred Blue Jersey , doing his thing.” TOUCHDOWN HAUL: Hopkins leads the NFL and has tied a career high and franchise record with 11 touchdown receptions despite playing with three quarterbacks. The QB carousel is nothing new for Hopkins, who has played with nine different guys at the position since he was drafted in 2013. ”It’s a challenge for me to be able to go out and play with a quarterback who hasn’t played with us often just to show the world that it doesn’t mean that you have to have a Pro Bowl quarterback or a 100 percent-rated quarterback to get the job done at the wide receiver position,” he said. ”So to me it’s a challenge, and I love it.” — HOUSTON (AP) — On the day J.J. Watt was selected AFC defensive player of the week, the defensive end who missed most of the last two seasons with serious injuries was asked if he’s all the way back.His simple answer: “No.”As well as Watt is playing in his comeback, he still believes he can do much more for the Houston Texans, starting with helping them extend their winning streak to nine games with a victory Sunday over Cleveland.“I have very high expectations for the way I play and where I want to be and … like I’ve told you many times I don’t know if I’ll ever say it,” Watt said. “But I’m going to continue to work to get there. The goal is always to be better than you were, you just don’t ever want to just be the same.”Watt has been great in his return this season after not only sitting out the last 11 games of 2017 after breaking his leg, but also missing all but three games in 2016 because of a back problem which required two surgeries. He is tied for second in the NFL with 11 1/2 sacks, has 19 quarterback hits, 13 tackles for losses, has swatted down two passes, and is tied for first in the NFL with a career-high five forced fumbles.“He’s one of the best players to ever play the game,” coach Bill O’Brien said. “He’s a great football player that impacts the game on every snap. I’m just the coach and I’m fortunate that he’s on our team.”Then O’Brien was asked to weigh in on whether Watt is back to his old self after fighting through two years of injuries.“That’s for him to answer because that’s the perfectionist that he is,” O’Brien said. “He’s always going to work to be better than what he thinks he is at that point. That’s what drives him … (but) he’s a great football player and we’re certainly glad we have him here in Houston.”Watt won AFC defensive player of the month honors for September Womens D.J. Reader Jersey , but this is the first time he’s won player of the week recognition since Week 17 of the 2015 season. He’s now tied with Julius Peppers for most defensive player of the week awards among active players with seven.He appreciates the recognition, but the three-time AP Defensive Player of the Year doesn’t think it means more because it comes in a season when he’s returning from injuries.“I understand the comeback story is a story, and obviously I’m still working to get better every week … but also you just want to play good football to play good football, not just because you’re coming back,” he said. “I’m just happy to be out there playing with my guys. I’m happy to be winning. I’m happy to be contributing and helping the team win games.”Watt’s work this season has helped the Texans become the first team in NFL history to win eight consecutive games after starting a season 0-3. After missing so much time over the last two years, Watt has relished being on the field with his teammates and being part of the turnaround.And while he gets a lot of credit for how Houston’s defense is playing, he’s quick to point out the key to the team’s recent success has been that many players have contributed.“It’s great to be with a group like this, because we’ve just been finding a way,” he said. “And it comes from different areas, different people, different ways, but we’re always a finding a way.”