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Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars NFL Odds & Betting

Written by Jimmy Boyd on December 2, 2009

The 5-6 Houston Texans visit the 6-5 Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday in an AFC South Division clash. Last week, Houston jumped out to a big 17-0 lead against division-leading Indy but could not hold off the Colts, eventually falling 35-27. Meanwhile, the Jags fell 20-3 to the 49ers in their first ever trip to San Francisco. These two division rivals have already met once this season with Jacksonville winning 31-24 back in Week 3. The win was Jacksonville’s third in the last five meetings between the two teams, but it still trails 8-7 in the all-time series. NFL odds makers are basically calling this one a toss up, listing the Houston Texans as a slim 1-point favorite with the total set at 46.

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Houston was sitting at 5-3 and it was looking like this would be the year it would finally get over the hump and into the playoffs. But the Texans have lost three straight games that they easily could have won to take them below the .500 mark, making this a must-win situation Sunday. The offense figures to be in good hands with QB Matt Schaub this week when you consider that he has always played well against Jacksonville, compiling a 105.3 passer rating in three career starts against the Jags.

I’m going to take this opportunity to call out the Houston defense. This team has relied on its offense to win football games over the past few seasons and it will continue to be a mediocre team until the defense is able to come up with crucial stops. Mario Williams has just five sacks on the season. He is yet to record more than one sack in a game this year and he also hasn’t tallied a sack in consecutive games. If this pattern is to continue, Williams would go sack-less this week after recording one against the Colts in Week 12. The Texans won’t be able to afford a quiet day from Williams as they need him to pressure Jags QB David Garrard. Garrard can be very mistake-prone when pressured. Rookie linebacker Brian Cushing also has a lot of weight on his shoulders this week. He leads all rookies with 99 stops and also leads the Texans with three interceptions. He’ll play a big role in trying to keep Jacksonville running back Maurice Jones-Drew bottled up. It is worth noting that the Texans are 11-4 ATS in the last 15 meetings in this matchup. If you like Houston to end its three-game skid Sunday, bet the Texans at -1 at Bodog.

If the playoffs started today, Jacksonville would earn the AFC’s final Wild Card spot. And that’s because they have played well at home where they are 4-1 this season. In fact, the Jags have won back-to-back home games against the Texans in this series. Running back Maurice Jones-Drew figures to be the key to making it three straight. Jones-Drew has been Michael Jordan-like at times for the Jags this season in that he has almost single-handedly won football games. He torched the Texans with three rushing touchdowns in the season’s first meeting. He has already rushed for 1,001 yards and 13 scores on an impressive 4.8 yards per carry average in 2009. In the season’s first meeting, he helped Jacksonville roll up 184 yards rushing on just under six yards per carry. If the Jags can get their ground game going again Sunday, it could be a long day for the reeling Texans. It is worth noting that the Texans are only 1-7 ATS in their last 8 road games against a team with a winning home record. If you like Jacksonville to continue its strong play at home, bet the Jaguars at +1 at Bodog.

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