Texans vs Jaguars Betting Preview

The Jacksonville Jaguars take a six-game losing streak into a face-off against the Houston Texans on Sunday, November 8, 2020, at TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Florida. The first half of the NFL season could not have gone any worse for the Texans. They lost six games out of seven and have won only one home game. The team, however, has not been riddled with injuries like a few teams have this season, and the Texan fans are hoping this does not strike them in the second half of the season. Regardless, the 2020 campaign was a tough first seven weeks, and the Texans will embark on the second half of the season, traveling to face the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Odds

Money line: Houston Texans -320 | Jacksonville Jaguars +260 at BetOnline

Points spread: Houston Texans -6.5 (-115) | Jacksonville Jaguars +6.5 (-105) at BetOnline

Over Total (50.5): -110 at BetOnline

Under Total (50.5): -110 at BetOnline

Game Overview

The Houston Texans are the favorite to win this matchup with a money line odd of -320. The big inactive for this game seems to be Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew, who is currently sidelined with a thumb injury. This means that the Jacksonville core is shifting to Jake Luton, the rookie. The good news for Jacksonville fans is that there was additional training time for him. The bad news is that Minshew was the star player and the only good thing the team had going. It would be difficult to have faith in the offense’s ability to pull this one off without him.

Meanwhile, the Texans are led by Deshaun Watson, who is a great player. Watson has thrown for 1,002 yards, nine touchdowns, and two interceptions in the three games since Bill O’Brien was fired. The team has put up an average of 28.7 points. The Texans should have no trouble moving the ball and putting up points, with Jacksonville giving up 31.4 points per game. All they have to do would be to strengthen the defense, which will help the team’s general outlook since Minshew will not be playing.

The Jaguars are currently the league’s 26th-highest scoring team this season, not so far from the Texans, who rank 22nd. In the NFL scoring defense, the Texans are ranked in 30th place while the Jaguars are ranked 31st.

The Texans Show Strength

The Texans have only averaged 7.7 fewer points per game this season more than the Jaguars. Their offense has averaged 367.6 total yards per game this season, 56.8 yards fewer than the 424.4, which the Jaguar defense allowed. The Texans average 6.2 yards per play, and the Jaguars defense has given up an average of 142.6 yards per game to opposing teams this season. This is 57.7 more yards than the Texans have gained this year at 84.9. Houston has a 1-5 record ATS and a 1-5 record overall when holding its opponents to 416.7 yards or less.

Although, the Texans have the following linebackers out, Dylan Cole (contact tracing), Kyle Emanuel (concussion), Jacob Martin (Covid-19), and Whitney Mercilus (contact tracing).

The Jaguars Hope to Break Duck

The Jaguars have reached a 22 average point per game, nine less than the Texans have given up per outing at 31 average points.

The Texans currently hold a 1-1 record against the spread and a 1-1 record overall in games whenever it surrenders 23.7 points or less. The Jaguars average 73.7 fewer yards per game (343) than the Texans allow per game (416.7). On average, the Jaguars pick up 5.5 yards per play, while the Texans give up 6.1 per play.

The Jaguars rush for 96.6 yards per game, 69.3 fewer per game than the 165.9 the Texans allow per outing. Jacksonville has a 1-1 ATS record and a 0-2 overall record when the team runs for at least 96.6 yards. This season, the Jaguars have 1.4 turnovers per game, just 0.8 more turnovers per game than the 0.6 average of the Texans.

The Jaguars have some players whose status for the game is questionable, which are; LB Dakota Allen (ankle), G A.J Cann (shoulder), LB Myles Jack (ankle), CB Sidney Jones (ribs), OL Brandon Linder (hip), OL Cam Robinson (knee), S Jarrod Wilson (hamstring), with QB Garden Minshew (thumb) certainly unavailable.

Prediction:

Houston Texans to win (-320) at BetOnline