The last week of the regular season is here, with the Jacksonville Jaguars traveling to take on the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. The NFL’s third-leading receiver, DeAndre Hopkins (1,432 yards, 11 TDs), is a player to keep an eye on in this game. It will air Sunday, Jan 3 at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS.
Houston and Jacksonville last met in Week 6, when the Texans put in a solid performance and beat the Jaguars 31-20. Houston has been victorious in the last three over the Jaguars, going back to the 2014 season. DeAndre Hopkins had a great performance in the last meeting, grabbing 10 receptions for 148 yards and two TDs. Julius Thomas had a solid outing for Jacksonville in that game, pulling in seven receptions for 78 yards and one TD. Blake Bortles had a great game as well, adding 331 yards and three TDs through the air.
Houston is a five-point favorite against the Jaguars.
Sitting at 8-7 for both Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS), the Texans will look to improve heading into Week 17. In their five most recent matchups, the Texans went 3-2 for both SU and ATS. Houston is averaging 132.6 rushing yards in its last five games, an improvement over its season average of 104.7. As for the Houston defense, a few key matchups could decide this game. The Jaguars will need a good game plan against the NFL’s fifth-best run defense at home. The Texans give up 83.7 rushing yards per game at home. The Texans will look to pass rush Jacksonville’s quarterback. They may get a few opportunities since the Jaguars rank 26th in sacks allowed with 2.9 per game. Houston will look to take advantage of the inability of the Jaguars to prevent scoring in the fourth quarter, allowing an average of 8.2 points. Houston’s offense moves at a swift pace, ranking first in the league with an average of 70.2 plays per game.
Shifting to the opposition, the Jaguars head into Week 17 with records of 7-7-1 ATS and 5-10 SU. Over their last five games, the Jaguars have a SU record of 1-4 and a 1-3-1 record ATS. Jacksonville has made opposing defenses suffer as of late, averaging 31 points per game over the last five games. This improved stretch brought its season average to 24.7 PPG. Jacksonville’s quarterback and wide receivers will look to keep the strong passing attack rolling this week. Over the past five games, they’ve managed an impressive 295.6 yards through the air. Moving on to the Jacksonville defense, there are certain areas where it measures up well against the Texans. Jacksonville, allowing 3.6 yards per rush, has a good chance of shutting down its competitor’s rushing offense. The Jaguars will look to benefit from a Houston defense that allows an average of 8.6 points in the second quarter, one of the worst marks in the league. Stalling drives due to penalties isn’t a common occurrence for Jacksonville. They only average 50.6 penalty yards per away game, fourth-best in the league this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – Hou, ATS Winner – Hou
Notes
Houston is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston’s last 6 games at home.
Houston is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games at home.
Houston is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing Jacksonville.
Houston is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Jacksonville.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston’s last 6 games when playing Jacksonville.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston’s last 6 games when playing at home against Jacksonville.
Houston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Jacksonville.
Houston is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Jacksonville.
Jacksonville is 2-2 SU when leading at the start of the fourth quarter this season. Houston is 5-0 SU when carrying a lead into the fourth quarter.
Remarkably, Houston is winless (0-4 SU) in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet undefeated (5-0 SU) when losing the turnover battle.
According to overall NFL pass rankings, Houston is rated higher on both sides of the ball. Its 18th-ranked offensive passing game will face the 29th-ranked pass defense of Jacksonville, while its third-ranked pass defense will look to limit the 10th-ranked aerial attack of the Jaguars.
