Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence hoping to break trend of losing openers by QBs selected No. 1 overall. 3 things to know.

HOUSTON -- Since 2002, there have been eight No. 1 overall picks to start at quarterback in season openers as rookies. 

Only former Texan David Carr enjoyed a win during the stretch. 

On Sunday, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence will try to become the second during his much-anticipated debut game against the Texans at NRG Stadium.

However, from Eli Manning in 2004 to Andrew Luck in 2012 to Joe Burrow last season, they all experienced the same fate. They were good but not good enough to lead their respective teams to wins in their debut games.  

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, the No. 1 overall pick in 2019 from Oklahoma, didn't lead his team to a win or loss in his debut game.  He had to settled for an overtime draw against the Detroit Lions, 27-27.

Tough in the trenches:Jaguars DT DaVon Hamilton ready to help defense disrupt Texans QB Tyrod Taylor

Role reversal:Jaguars would be happy for Texans to feel some of their long-term NFL pain

Jaguars Roundtable:What needs to go right vs. Texans in Sunday's season opener

Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick in April, is often compared to Luck as being the most NFL-ready prospect since him. Lawrence is likely hoping for better fortune than what the former Colts quarterback experienced in his first game.

In a 41-21 loss to the Chicago Bears on the road, Luck was intercepted three times before passing for 309 yards on 23 of 45 attempts. 

Burrow had a similar experience to Luck. Burrow was unlucky, sacked three times and intercepted once in a 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Burrow's day ended 23 of 36 for 193 yards with no touchdown passes, but he did score on a 23-yard run. The Chargers starting quarterback at the time was Tyrod Taylor, whom Lawrence will be dueling against Sunday at NRG Stadium.

Earlier this week, Lawrence did not appear overly concerned that history has not been on the side of No. 1 overall picks in season openers.

''I’m excited. It’s going to be fun,'' Lawrence said. ''Get a good first play under your belt, get rolling, sometimes take a little hit, kind of get you into the game.

"It’s a long season and you need all that confidence and get it rolling. That’s all our focus is on right now and just taking it one game at a time."The Jaguars are entering as 2.5-point favorites against the Texans, who are projected to finish at the bottom of the AFC South standings.

The Texans' star quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has asked for a trade, remains on the team's 53-man roster. However, Watson will not play because he faces 22 civil lawsuits for allegations of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior. The Texans have 33 players on their roster who were not with the team last season.

"Offensively, they’re the same," Jaguars coach Urban Meyer said. "They kept the

staff; they’re doing a lot of the same things. Obviously, their quarterback’s different with [Texans QB] Deshaun out. I met with the defense last night at length and we just talked about that. The other side of the ball, you have a good idea. There is turnover personnel-wise, but that’s kind of the story of the NFL from what I’m learning."

Most importantly, Meyer is confident that Lawrence is ready for his debut. He was able to get acclimated in the preseason and experience what it was like to battle to win the starting job as Meyer had him in a quarterback competition with Gardner Minshew, who was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles last month in exchange for a sixth-round pick.

Now all of the focus for Lawrence and the Jaguars is to start the season off right and then achieve sustained success as the season progresses.

"Our locker room is really strong right now,'' Meyer said. ''We’re going to see what the results are Sunday night, but I don’t have that feeling. I have a feeling our players want to win. Our players have worked very hard, and they’ve been treated right, so I like where we’re at.”

Here are three things to watch for in Sunday's opener between the Jaguars-Texans.

Pass protection for Trevor Lawrence

How well the Jaguars can provide pass protection for Lawrence will largely determine their offensive success on Sunday. Lawrence needs to time in the pocket to find receivers and the season depends on the offensive line keeping up upright and injury free. Tackles Cam Robinson and Jawaan Taylor need to be on point from the start to end. Taylor has struggled with his foot technique on his backpedal to stay in front of edge rushers. Robinson just needs to stay consistent and not get beat off the edge. Guard Andrew Norwell missed all of the preseason and training camp due to an elbow injury, so he will have to shake the rust off in a hurry.     

Jaguars defense must stop the run

The Texans have five running backs on their roster, so it's no secret to plan to utilize the ground game. One of the strengths of Jaguars defensive coordinator Joe Cullen is that he thinks out of the box, and will have the Jaguars taking advantage of different looks from a five-man front to three-man with plenty of blitzes in between. It never hurts to keep the offense guessing on what they might see next from the defense. 

Get wide receiver Laviska Shenault involved

Wide receiver Laviska Shenault is a weapon that needs to be utilized. Since last season, he has probably shown the most overall improvement of any player on the team. He is stronger, a better route runner and hasn't dropped many passes since the start of the offseason program in the spring. Shenault needs to be utilized in the open field, on short to mid-range passes. 

How to watch Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans

Sunday's opener

Jaguars at Texans

When: 1 p.m.

Where: NRG Stadium, Houston

TV: CBS