 During Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mercilus sacked Gardner Minshew twice and recorded two forced fumbles as the Texans narrowly won 13–12, earning him AFC Defensive Player of the Week.During Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Mercilus forced Philip Rivers to fumble the football once as the Texans won on the road by a score of 27–20.During Week 7 against the Indianapolis Colts, he recovered a fumble by quarterback Jacoby Brissett in the 30–23 road loss.