JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Rookie quarterback Blake Bortles says Houston defensive end J.J. Watt is “fun to watch.”

Bortles, though, may not have much fun playing against Watt on Sunday when the Texans visit EverBank Field to play the Jaguars.

“He gets after it,” Bortles said. “He’s relentless and he’s somebody out there that you definitely have to pay attention to and account for. We’re looking forward to the opportunity to go attack not only him but their defense. We want to execute and do positive things.”

That will be a tall order because Watt is on a roll right now and is being mentioned as an MVP candidate — although the odds are against him winning it because only two defensive players, Alan Page in 1971 and Lawrence Taylor in 1986, have won the award.

Still, Watt had two sacks and six quarterback hits last Sunday and knocked rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger out of the game.

“He’s really good,” offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch said. “I thought he was really good last year. He’s a great football player, not just a good football player. He’s a great football player. So he’s going to be a challenge to go again and we know that. Who’s on the front cover of Sports Illustrated and ESPN the same week? The guy is a dude and we know that.”

Making things even more difficult is the fact that right tackle Austin Pasztor was put on injured reserve this week with a ruptured hamstring.

So they will have a new right tackle, either veteran Sam Young or rookie Josh Wells.

The other tackle, Luke Joeckel, has been struggling at times. And running back Denard Robinson gave up two sacks last week when he missed blocks.

So keeping Watt from disrupting their offense will be a major priority.

Coach Gus Bradley said Watt is the best defensive player the team has faced this year.

“He’s really internally driven,” Bradley said. “And he elevates everybody around him. And when you have those two combinations, that’s good and the stats back it up. It’s pretty dominating and he’s definitely a guy that you have to be aware of. It’s challenging because he plays multiple positions.”

Watt’s also good at batting balls down.

“He’s got a really good feel for it,” Bradley said. “Some guys it just comes natural to them, and he’s one of those guys based on the blocking scheme, how he’s being blocked, (who) reads the long arm of the quarterback. We’ve had some batted balls and it’s one of those things we have to address and be aware of it. He’s very effective at it.”

The Jaguars are likely to throw a lot of short passes so Bortles can get the ball out of his hands before Watt gets to him.

If they are to have a chance to pull an upset, they need to keep Watt from taking over the game.

SERIES HISTORY: The Texans lead 13-11 but are 5-7 in Jacksonville. The Jaguars swept both games last year, but had lost the previous five. The Jaguars beat the Texans 27-20 last December. Maurice Jones-Drew rushed for 103 yards in that game.

NOTES: K Josh Scobee was named AFC special-teams player of the week for kicking two field goals against the Giants, including the winner from 43 yards with 28 seconds left. … LB A.J. Edds was signed to the 53-man roster as the Jaguars placed OT Austin Pasztor on injured reserve with a ruptured Achilles. … DE Andre Branch (groin), LB Khairi Fortt (hamstring), LE Jeremiah George (ankle) and LB LaRoy Reynolds (neck) didn’t practice Wednesday.