(SportsRadio 610) - Coming off his best game as a pro, rookie running back Dameon Pierce and the Texans offense will face a Jacksonville defense that currently ranks as the eighth-best rushing defense in the league.
Jacksonville is giving up just 93 yards per game on the ground.
However, those numbers may not tell the whole story.
The Jaguars, 2-2 entering their week five showdown with the Texans, have jumped on teams early and often this season, outscoring opponents 50-41 in the first half.
Leading 14-0 after the first quarter against Jalen Hurts and the Eagles last week, a 20-point second quarter from Philadelphia is an outlier that skews the numbers a bit, given that two of the three scoring drives by the Eagles were set up by two Trevor Lawrence fumbles.
That second quarter, in which the Eagles scored a touchdown on three consecutive drives, was a decisive shift in the game as the Jaguars fell 29-21 after being out scored 9-7 by the Eagles in the fourth quarter.
The Jags surrendered 210 yards on the ground on 50 Eagles carries. It included 38 yards on 16 rushes from Hurts and another 134 yards on 27 attempts by running back Miles Sanders.
With the Jags taking early leads in games through the first four weeks, that's forced teams much of the time to pass more instead of run, last week notwithstanding as the Eagles saw so much success on the ground they stuck with it.
Colts running back Jonathan Taylor averaged six yards per attempt on just nine carries for 54 yards in the Jags' week two 24-0 shutout victory.
Taylor ran for 161 yards in the Colts week one tie with the Texans, despite trailing 20-3 in the fourth quarter, taking advantage of poor tackling and a porous run defense.
Chargers running backs Sony Michel and Austin Ekeler combined for just 27 yards on nine carries in the Jags' 38-10 blowout victory week three. Quarterback Justin Herbert threw it 45 times to just 12 total rushes from the Chargers.
While there is an argument to be made for much more, the Texans' offense has incrementally utilized Pierce more each week.
Never mind the fact Pierce has watched from the sidelines in some of the games' most pivotal moments and has been absent from action late in games each week.
However, with those limited opportunities, Pierce has produced in a big way, ranking third in yards-per-carry for running backs with 60 carries or more this season.
Given the circumstances the Jaguars have played through in the first four weeks, it would appear one of the more exciting and explosive young running backs in the league is primed to have another good day.
The Texans need him to if they want to crack the win column for the first time all season.
Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton said Thursday you have to respect what the Jaguars have shown defensively thus far.
"They're a really good defense. They're athletic up front, they have playmakers on the back end and they find ways to harass your quarterback," Hamilton said. "We have to do a great job of having balance, keep ourselves out of obvious passing situations and just find ways to score point early, early and often."
Staying out of obvious passing situations has been a big point of emphasis for Hamilton, and it should be something to keep an eye on Sunday.
Texans quarterback Davis Mills has been blitzed the third-most of any quarterback in the league this year, dodging defenders 47 times and taking 11 sacks overall.
Hamilton said Thursday it was still a little early to tell if defenses have picked up a tendency and are purposefully blitzing Mills more.
"Nevertheless, we always anticipate there's going to be situations where we are blitzed," Hamilton said. "I don't know exactly how many of those blitzes were successful with regards to sacking the quarterback. I'm sure they've gotten us off the spot a few times and maybe gotten us out of rhythm. We're expecting blitz any time it's an obvious passing situation."
Meanwhile, after last week's slow start against the Chargers, the Texans' own pass rush hopes to apply more pressure up front.
Trevor Lawrence, who turned the ball over five times last week, has been blitzed 44 times this season, taking six sacks in four games.
Pederson called last week's performance a "blip" after Lawrence lost four fumbles and threw a red zone interception. Lawrence had only one turnover through the first three weeks, which supports that notion.
The Texans are better than a lot of teams at taking the ball away, ranking 12th in takeaways with six through four weeks.
They'll need to create more of those opportunities for an offense and Dameon Pierce, who is hungry for the opportunity to expose a Jaguars run defense that may not be as good as advertised.
Shaun Bijani has spent the last 16 years covering the Houston sports scene for SportsRadio 610. Follow him on Twitter @ShaunBijani.
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