The Houston Texans (+5) are flying east to face the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field. CBS owns the TV rights and kickoff will take place at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Betting Preview: Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
In this Sunday AFC matchup, Jacksonville is getting picked as the favorite and the team’s currently giving up 5 points. The Texans are also receiving +160 moneyline odds while the Jaguars are -180. If one side can create a bunch of points in the early stages it would create a worthy in-game betting scenario. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 42.5 points.
The sharp action is siding with both the Jags and the under. The opening line was originally -4 while the game’s over/under was initially set at 44.
The Texans are 1-4-1 against the spread (ATS) and have lost 2.1 units so far. They’ve been a good under bet and have posted an O/U record of 2-4.
The Jaguars have lost 4.2 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 3-3 ATS and have an even O/U record of 3-3.
The Texans are 3-3 straight up (SU), including 1-1 SU against AFC South opponents. The Jaguars are 3-3 SU overall and 0-1 SU against divisional foes.
Houston enters this contest on a zero-game winless streak while Jacksonville has won zero in a row. The Texans look to keep it rolling after a 20-13 victory over Buffalo in Week 6. Deshaun Watson completed 15-of-25 passes for just 177 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Lamar Miller (just 46 yards on 15 rush attempts) led the ground attack while DeAndre Hopkins (five receptions, 63 yards, one TD) and Keke Coutee (three catches, 33 yards) handled the receiving duties in the win.
Jacksonville just suffered a 40-7 defeat to Dallas in Week 6. The defense allowed the Cowboys to eat up the clock by running for 206 yards on 42 rush attempts, including two rush TDs. Ezekiel Elliott had a solid outing for Dallas, recording 106 rushing yards and a score on 24 attempts. For Jacksonville, Blake Bortles completed 15-of-26 passes for 149 yards, one touchdown and one interception. T.J. Yeldon (41 yards on eight rush attempts) handled the running game while Keelan Cole (four receptions, 41 yards) and James O’Shaughnessy (three catches, 29 yards) led the receiving corps in the loss.
Houston has run the ball on 43.7 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Jacksonville has an overall rush percentage of 37.1 percent. The Texans have run for 109.2 yards/game (including 133.5 per game against South opponents) and have two scores on the ground this year. The Jags are logging 103.3 rushing yards per game (87.0 in conference) and have two total rush TDs.
The Texans offense has logged 299.7 yards per contest through the air overall (342.5 per game versus conference opposition) and has nine passing TDs so far. The Jags have put up 279.0 pass yards per outing (155 against AFC competition) and also have nine total pass scores.
On the defensive side of the ball, Houston has allowed 95.8 rush yards and 263.7 pass yards per game. The Jacksonville D has allowed 204.8 yards per game to opposing passers and 118.7 yards per game on the ground. The Jags are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 5.30 to opponents, while the Texans have allowed a 6.71 ANY/A.
Offensively, Watson is up to 1,423 passing yards this year, and has completed 62 percent of his 173 attempts with eight scores through the air and six interceptions. He’s got a 6.06 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 5.47 over the last two games.
As a group, DeAndre Hopkins, Alfred Blue and Keke Coutee have combined for 462 total yards and two touchdowns over the last couple of outings.
On the other sideline, Blake Bortles has completed 112-of-176 passes for 1,244 yards, eight TDs and four INTs. Bortles’ ANY/A sits at 6.41 for the season and 3.74 over his last two games.
T.J. Yeldon (246 rushing yards, one rush TD, 154 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns this season), Keelan Cole (266 receiving yards, one receiving TD) and Dede Westbrook (332 receiving yards, two receiving TDs) have combined for 396 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns over the past two games.
Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars Free NFL Tip
SU Winner: Jaguars, ATS Winner: Jaguars, O/U: Over
Betting Notes
- Jacksonville has lost six fumbles this season while Houston has lost four.
- The Houston defense has sacked opposing quarterbacks 15 times this season. Jacksonville has recorded 14 sacks.
- Houston, as a team, has produced 3.1 yards per carry over its last three contests and 2.9 over its last two.
- Jacksonville has averaged 4.2 yards per carry over its last three outings and 4.7 over its last two.
- In its last three games, Jacksonville is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- The O/U for Houston’s last game going into it was 40.5. The under cashed in the team’s 20-13 victory over Buffalo.
- Over its last three matchups, Houston is 1-1-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- The Over/Under for Jacksonville’s last outing going into it was 39.5. The over cashed in that 40-7 loss to Dallas.
- Jacksonville has lost four of its last five games SU, with a 19-point victory over New York on September 30th representing the lone win over that stretch.
