The Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) meet the Houston Texans (1-4) looking to snap their three-game losing streak. A player to watch is the NFL’s top receiver, DeAndre Hopkins (578 yards, 3 TDs). It starts at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct 18 and can be seen on CBS.
After winning both of its meetings last season, Houston gets its first shot of the season against division rival Jacksonville this week. Telvin Smith led the way for the Jaguars defense in the last game, registering 11 tackles. J.J. Watt led the way for the Houston defense, totaling six tackles and three sacks.
Oddsmakers have deemed the Jacksonville and Houston game as an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 43 points.
The Jaguars enter the game with records of 1-4 Straight Up (SU) and 2-3 Against The Spread (ATS) this season. The Jaguars may capitalize on a weak Texans pass defense that allows 12 yards per pass. As for the Jacksonville defense, there are important areas to keep an eye on. Jacksonville looks to use its formidable run defense, which gives up 73.5 rushing yards at home, against the visiting Texans. Houston’s defense could allow an easy score for the Jaguars heading into halftime. The Texans allow an average of 11.2 points in the second quarter, making them one of the worst in the league.
As for their opponent, the Texans have 1-4 SU and ATS records this season. Houston has found a lot of success through the air. Its 300 passing yards per game ranks fourth in the NFL. Shifting to the other side of the ball, the Houston defense could excel if they take advantage of favorable matchups. Strong pass coverage could be an asset for Houston’s defense since the Jaguars rank 26th in the league with a passing average of 221 yards per home game. Jacksonville will have its work cut out for it when Houston comes to returning the ball. The Texans average the fifth-most return yards when playing on the road with 106.
Predictions: SU Winner – Jax, ATS Winner – Jax, O/U – Over
Notes
Jacksonville is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games.
Jacksonville is 8-14-2 ATS in its last 24 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Jacksonville’s last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Jacksonville’s last 9 games at home.
Jacksonville is 6-19 SU in its last 25 games at home.
Jacksonville is 5-12-1 ATS in its last 18 games at home.
Jacksonville is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing Houston.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Jacksonville’s last 6 games when playing at home against Houston.
Houston is 1-0 SU when leading at the start of the fourth quarter this season. Jacksonville is 0-1 SU when leading after three quarters.
When it comes to passing this year, Houston is rated higher on both sides of the ball. Its fourth-ranked passing attack will face the 21st-ranked pass defense of Jacksonville, while its 10th-ranked pass defense will look to limit the 12th-ranked passing game of the Jaguars.
