The Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars will go head-to-head on the grass of EverBank Field. CBS will televise the action and the game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET.
Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars Betting Preview
In this Sunday AFC game, Jacksonville has been labeled as the favorite and is currently giving up 5 points. The Texans are also receiving +160 moneyline odds while the Jaguars are -180. If one team can create a bunch of points early it’ll result in a worthwhile in-game betting scenario. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 42.5 points.
Early action has been leaning in the direction of both the Jags and the under. The line originally opened at -4 while the game’s total was initially placed at 44.
The Texans are down 2.1 units so far in 2018 and 1-4-1 against the spread (ATS). 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 have gone 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 just scored a 20-13 win over Buffalo last week. The passing attack could’ve been sharper as Deshaun Watson completed 15 passes for just 177 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Lamar Miller (only 46 yards on 15 rush attempts) spearheaded the ground attack while DeAndre Hopkins (five receptions, 63 yards, one TD) and Keke Coutee (three catches, 33 yards) shared the receiving duties in the win.
In Week 6, Dallas got the victory against this Jacksonville crew by a score of 40-7. The Jags defense let the Cowboys eat up the clock by running for 206 yards on 42 rush attempts, including two rush TDs. Ezekiel Elliott put up a productive showing, recording 106 rushing yards and a score on 24 attempts for Dallas. 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) mounted the running game as Keelan Cole (four receptions, 41 yards) and James O’Shaughnessy (three catches, 29 yards) led the pass-catching 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 yards/game (including 134 per game versus South opponents) and have two touchdowns on the ground this year. The Jags are totaling 103 rush yards per game (87 in conference) and have two total rushing TDs.
The Texans offense has logged 300 yards/game through the air overall (343 per game against conference opposition) and has nine passing scores so far. The Jags have recorded 279 pass yards per game (155.0 against AFC foes) and also have nine total pass TDs.
Houston has allowed opponents to run for an average of 96 yards and throw for 264 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 opposing QBs, while the Texans have allowed a 6.71 ANY/A.
Offensively, Watson has put up 1,423 passing yards this year. He’s completed 107-of-173 attempts with eight passing scores and six interceptions. He’s got a 6.06 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 5.47 over the last two outings.
As a group, DeAndre Hopkins, Alfred Blue and Keke Coutee have combined for 462 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns over the last couple of outings.
Blake Bortles has managed to complete 112-of-176 passes for 1,244 yards, eight TDs and four INTs for Jacksonville. His ANY/A stands at 6.41 for the season and 3.74 over his last two outings.
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 total yards and two touchdowns over the last couple of games.
RELATED: Week 7 NFL Betting Odds and Predictions
Free Prediction: Texans vs. Jaguars
SU Winner – Jaguars, ATS Winner – Texans, O/U – Over
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
The Houston defense has 15 sacks on the year while Jacksonville has 14.
Jacksonville has lost six fumbles in 2018 while the Houston offense has let four get away.
The Texans offense has tallied one pass play of 40+ yards, while the Jaguars have put up two such plays.
The Houston defense has allowed five pass plays of 40+ yards, while Jacksonville has given up one such play.
The Houston offense has created one rushing play of 20 or more yards, while Jacksonville has created four such runs.
The Texans defense has allowed one rushing play of 20 or more yards, while the Jaguars have given up four such runs.
The Over/Under for Jacksonville’s last match was set at 39.5. The over cashed in that 40-7 loss to Dallas.
In its last three matchups, Jacksonville is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
In its last three matches, Houston is 1-1-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
Jacksonville has lost four of its last five games SU, with a 19-point win over New York on September 30th accounting for the only victory over that span.
The Over/Under for Houston’s last game was set at 40.5. The under cashed in the team’s 20-13 victory over Buffalo.
As a team, Houston has averaged 3.1 yards per rush attempt across its past three outings and 2.9 over its last two.
Jacksonville has averaged 4.2 yards per carry over its last three matchups and 4.7 over its past two.
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