Jaguars won’t have Marqise Lee, AJ Bouye for Week 2

The injury bug has already hit the Jacksonville Jaguars hard, as star cornerback AJ Bouye and top wide receiver Marqise Lee won’t be available for this week’s critical AFC South showdown against the Houston Texans.

Despite Gardner Minshew’s best efforts, the Jacksonville Jaguars were unable to pick up a Week 1 victory over reigning NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Nick Foles’s broken collarbone means that Minshew will get the start in Week 2 against the reigning AFC South champions, and the Jaguars sixth-round rookie will have to face the Houston Texans without his best wide receiver.

Both Marqise Lee and AJ Bouye have been ruled out for the critical Sunday afternoon contest. Bouye was listed as questionable on the injury report, but the ace cornerback’s hamstring injury was deemed too serious.

Bouye’s injury could be a boon for deep threats Will Fuller and Kenny Stills. The latter has become a player to watch after scoring what would have been the game-winning touchdown last week, if it weren’t for Bill O’Brien’s coaching blunder.

While Bouye’s injury is the most beneficial to the Texans, Lee’s injury hurts the Jaguars young quarterback the most. Lee is an exceptional wide receiver who is consistently held back by injuries, and he’s been dealt a setback on his knee. The former USC star missed the entire 2018 season with a torn ACL, MCL, and PCL.

Without Lee, Minshew will lean on potential breakout star DJ Chark, the up-and-down Dede Westbrook, and the ridiculously athletic Chris Conley as his top three targets. All three of them can give the Texans problems, but Lee’s route-to-route consistency will continue to be missed by the Jaguars.

This Week 2 battle with the Texans could have huge implications on the AFC title picture in a few months, so while the Jaguars can win without Lee and Bouye, a tough task with a late-round rookie quarterback at the helm just got even tougher.