The Houston Texans (-6) are heading northeast to face the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Kickoff for this matchup is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET and fans can catch it live by tuning in to NFL Network.
Houston Texans at New York Jets Betting Preview
New York is a live dog here and is currently getting 6 points. The Texans are also receiving -230 moneyline odds while the Jets are +190. Oddsmakers have set the over/under (O/U) at 41.5 points. If Houston falls down early, it would likely result in a nice betting opportunity in-game.
The early action has leaned to both the Jets and the under. This line originally opened at 7 and the over/under was initially 42.5.
The Texans are 6-6-1 against the spread (ATS) and have recorded 2.6 units so far. They’ve been a good under bet and have recorded an O/U mark of 5-8. The Jets have lost 5.4 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 5-8 ATS and eight of their games have gone over the total.
The Texans are 9-4 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Jets are 4-9 SU.
The Texans hope to get back on track after a narrow 24-21 defeat to Indianapolis last week. The Texans secondary allowed the Colts to air it out for 399 yards and two touchdowns. On the offensive side of the ball, Deshaun Watson completed 27-of-38 passes for 267 yards and one touchdown. Lamar Miller (just 33 rushing yards on 14 attempts, one TD) led the ground attack while Ryan Griffin (five receptions, 80 yards) and Miller (five catches, 19 yards) shared the receiving duties in the defeat.
New York just earned a 27-23 win over Buffalo in Week 14. Sam Darnold completed 16-of-24 passes for 170 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Elijah McGuire (60 yards on 17 rush attempts, one TD) handled the running game while Robby Anderson (four receptions, 76 yards, one TD) and McGuire (three catches, 23 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the win.
Houston has run the ball on 50.0 percent of its offensive possessions this year while New York has a rush percentage of 44.3 percent. The Texans have rushed for 137 yards/game and have eight touchdowns on the ground this year. The Jets are totaling 106 rushing yards per game and have nine total rush TDs.
If 2018 results are any indication, then the Texans could own the edge in terms of RB effectiveness. Their backfield has logged 4.4 yards per carry while their defense is allowing 3.6 YPC to opponents. The Jets have ran for 4.1 yards per carry and allowed a YPC of 4.6 to opponents.
The Texans offense has averaged 254 yards in the air overall and has 22 passing scores so far. The Jets have recorded 203 pass yards per contest and have 13 total pass TDs.
On the defensive side of the ball, Houston has allowed 88 rush yards and 280 pass yards per game. The New York defense has given up 259.4 yards per game to opposing passers and 132.0 yards per game to opposing runners. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to opponents, as the Texans have given up an ANY/A of 6.31 to opposing QBs, while the Jets are yielding an ANY/A of 6.08.
Passing-wise, Watson is up to 3,074 yards this year, and has completed 67 percent of his 371 attempts with 21 passing scores and nine interceptions. Watson has a 6.88 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 5.94 over the last two outings.
Look for a balanced attack offensively from Houston in this one. Lamar Miller, DeAndre Hopkins and Ryan Griffin have combined for 386 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns as a trio over the last couple of outings.
On the other sideline, Sam Darnold has completed 175-of-313 passes for 2,104 yards, 12 TDs and 15 INTs. Darnold’s ANY/A stands at an ultra-pedestrian 4.61 for the season and 6.04 over his past two outings.
We’re looking for the Jets to control the game’s pace by getting the ball into the hands of their running backs. In addition to Robby Anderson (444 receiving yards, four receiving TDs this season), Isaiah Crowell (587 rush yards, six rush TDs) and Elijah McGuire (139 rush yards, one rush TD) have been focal points in the Jets’ recent offensive strategies.
RELATED: Week 15 NFL Betting Odds and Predictions
NFL Pick: Texans at Jets
SU Winner – Jets, ATS Winner – Jets, O/U – Over
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
New York has lost seven fumbles this season while Houston has let five get away.
The Houston defensive unit has 36 sacks on the year while New York has just 28.
As a team, Houston has averaged 5.7 yards per carry across its past three games and 4.3 over its last two.
New York has averaged 4.1 yards per carry over its last three outings and 3.8 over its past two.
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