The Jacksonville Jaguars may have won the game against the Houston Texans. But the story lies beyond the final score.

While Trevor Lawrence continues to battle with turnovers, tempo, and an offense plagued by mistakes, another rising player is capturing the audience and HC Liam Coen’s attention.

Tight End Brenton Strange delivered one of those gritty, blue-collar performances that had his coach grinning at the podium. Asked for his take, Coach Coen didn’t hold back: “Very pleased with Brian. He plays his tail off. It’s like a car accident every time he’s out there, whether he’s catching it and getting hit to staying on his feet, competing to get more, or in the run game when he is blocking and able to spring some of those runs to get some more explosives that way. I very much respect the way he plays.”

The Jaguars mirrored that same toughness in their 17-10 win over the Texans. They forced turnovers. Came up with a clutch interception on Houston’s final drive. And held C.J. Stroud’s offense to just 4-of-15 on third downs and under 300 total yards.

It wasn’t flawless — red-zone execution lagged, and a few plays slipped away. But resilience carried the day. Strange’s effort felt like the embodiment of that identity: not pretty but punishing enough to get the job done.

He hauled in 6 of 7 for 61 yards, which can be considered one of the best receiving performances of this season. Across the three games, he has a record of 13 receptions for 137 yards and is 10 overall in the receiving TE yard leaders.

However, his good performance and praises from the coach create pressure for Trevor Lawrence as he has been struggling.

Ten drops dogged the Jaguars’ offense, out of which six were in the game vs. the Texans.

These throws should have been hauled in, but they were missed because Trevor struggled with the timing and tempo.

Coach Coen has always been honest with his remarks. His praises of Strange, throws a challenge for Lawrence.

Offensive stakes at Jaguars vs. the 49ers

Jaguars’ offense needs to be fine-tuned for the game against the San Francisco 49ers, who are at 3-0.

Under Liam Coen’s coaching, they can heavily lean on run-pass balance. However, it should not be a liability, as Lawrence will have to hit the right windows.

With running back Travis Etienne Jr. having an average of six yards and the team running 68.9% of the time, there is enough hope in keeping the run-pass balance intact.

Coen’s ability will also enable the team to track defensive signals and ensure mismatches that can exploit San Francisco’s personnel.

Not only this, but they also need to work on their illegal shift penalties. Thus, motion-based adjustments, scripted mismatches, and pre-snap reads could favor the Jaguars on the field against the 49ers.

The Jags need to show consistency in their game and develop better calls in short-yardage or play-action to keep the 49ers in check and put them in chaos. With the 49ers’ great offense, there is no room for mistakes for the Jaguars. One error and the Niners will steal the show.