(SportsRadio 610) -- When it was first leaked Houston would host the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2021 NFL season opener, logic dictated this could be one of the few games in which the Texans are favored.
Maybe this team with low expectations from the outside could at least be penciled in to start 1-0.
But the truth is, we're not so sure. Even with a rookie quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, and a first-year NFL head coach in Urban Meyer, that's enough credibility to favor them over the current Texans outfit.
The early betting line has the Texans as a 1.5-point underdog against Jacksonville.
It's the closest Week 1 line, along with Broncos-Giants. Bettors are splitting hairs between which team is worse.
The Texans will likely open the season with Tyrod Taylor at quarterback. Their other options are Ryan Finley and rookie Davis Mills, with Deshaun Watson unlikely to play again for the team.
It's hard to overlook how interesting a matchup this would be if Watson were both engaged with the Texans, and without the off-field cloud.
Two former Clemson quarterbacks in Lawrence and Watson, setting the stage for a decades-long AFC South rivalry. The last time the Texans opened a season against the Jaguars, in was Watson's rookie year in 2017, when he took the starting job from Tom Savage after halftime.
NRG Stadium would set the stage potentially for something special brewing.
And at the very least, the Texans wouldn't be 1.5-point dogs.