Via @texans_fanly
Houston Texans (3-3) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3) at TIAA Bank Field
NFL Week 7: 1:00 ET on Sunday, October 21, 2018
On Sunday, the Houston Texans (3-3) take on the Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3). These two teams are tied for first in the AFC South. Houston started the season by losing their first three games but have won their last three. Jacksonville has lost their last two, first crushed by Kansas City, 30-14, then getting destroyed by Dallas, 40-7. Houston leads the all-time series between these two teams, 19-13-0. Jacksonville swept this series last season but had lost the previous six in this series.
Pick Six Gives Texans Third Straight Win, 20-13
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It was a tough battle on Sunday between the Buffalo Bills in the Houston Texans. Houston tied the score after late field-goal, but Jacksonville had the opportunity to win. That is until Johnathan Joseph picked off a Nathan Peterman pass and returned to 28 yards for a touchdown to give Houston the victory, 20-13.
The Texans got on the scoreboard first. With 4:43 left in the first quarter, quarterback Deshaun Watson connected with DeAndre Hopkins on a 13-yard touchdown pass to put Houston on top, 7-0. The Texans extended their lead in the second quarter with a 33-yard field goal and Woodhead into the half leading 10-0.
Buffalo would add to field goals in the third quarter to pull within four and would take the lead when Peterman found Zay Jones for a 16-yard score to put the Bills on top 13-10. Houston would tie the score on a 27-yard field goal with 1:34 left in the game, giving Buffalo one last chance to retake the lead. However, Peterman’s pass on the first play of the possession was intercepted by Joseph, who returned to 28 yards for the score, giving the Texans a 20-13, which would be the final.
Houston is averaging 22.5 points per game while giving up 22.8 points per contest. Their offense is averaging 388.9 yards per game, with a rushing attack that has struggled at 109 2 yards per contest. However, their defense has been impressive, averaging 341.6 yards allowed per game while holding opposing offenses to 95.8 yards per game.
Cowboys Defense Cages Jaguars in 40-7 Victory
The Jacksonville Jaguars lost their second straight game on Sunday, as the Dallas Cowboys limited the Jacksonville offense to just 10 first downs and 204 total yards in the 40-7 loss. Dallas led 24-0 before Jacksonville would get on the board as quarterback Dak Prescott threw for two touchdowns and ran for another.
Dallas would take a 10 point lead in the first quarter. After a field-goal, Prescott would run for a 17-yard touchdown to make it 10-0. In the second quarter, the Dallas quarterback twice connected with ColeBeasley for touchdowns to extend the lead to 24. That would be the score at the half.
Jacksonville would get on the scoreboard in the third quarter. Quarterback Blake Bortles threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Dede Westbrook but Dallas would score the final 16 points of the game, three of which came on field goals in the 40-7 victory.
Jacksonville is averaging 18.2 points per game while giving up 21 points on average. They recording 371.1 yards per contest, but only getting 103.3 on the ground. Their defense is a top-five, allowing 306.5 yards per contest including only 187.8 through the air.
Trends:
Houston:
- 1-5 ATS in their last six games on the road.
- 1-5 ATS in their last six games against the AFC South.
- 1-7 ATS in their last eight AFC games.
- 1-10 ATS in their last 11 games overall.
Jacksonville:
- 5-2 ATS and their last seven games at home.
- 5-2 ATS in their last seven games in Week 7.
- 15-7 ATS in their last 22 games against AFC teams.
The Winner Prediction
Jacksonville dominated this series last year after Houston had been in control for the three previous years. However, these are two entirely different teams from what we saw last season. Both play exceptional defense, but both are getting better quarterback play. Houston is on a roll and since they’re getting points it makes sense to go with the Texans.
The Pick: Houston Texans +5.0 (-115)
The Total
Combined these two teams are averaging just under 41 points per game while allowing slightly less than 44 a game. That bodes well for the under in this contest.
The Pick: Under 41.5 (-110)