Texans vs Jaguars NFL Handicapping
The Houston Texans will make the trip out to EverBank Field for a date with the Jacksonville Jaguars under the lights on Thursday night.
Houston Texans (2-10) at Jacksonville Jaguars (3-9)
Date: Thursday, December 5, 2013
Time: 8:25 PM ET
Venue: EverBank Field
City: Jacksonville, Florida
O/U Odds: 43
Spread: Houston -2.5
Money Line: Houston -155, Jacksonville +135
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Jacksonville snapped a five-game losing skid in the series in the first meeting of the season, and will be looking to snap a seven-game home losing streak on Thursday.
Jacksonville won their second in a row in their last game, outlasting Cleveland 32-28.
Chad Henne threw for 195 yards and two touchdowns with an interception in the win. He continued to heavily target his top two targets. Cecil Shorts III caught six balls for 64 yards and a score, and Ace Sanders brought in eight balls for 67 yards.
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Maurice Jones-Drew carried the load on the ground, rushing 23 times for 77 yards. The team will surely lean heavily on Jones-Drew on Thursday after he accounted for 144 yards and a score on 20 touches in the first meeting with Houston.
It was the Jacksonville defense that played a major role in helping the team to earn their win over the Browns. The unit bent but didn’t break, surrendering 439 yards of offense.
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Most of that came through the air, as Brandon Weeden threw for 370 yards and three scores, but the Jaguars sacked him three times and forced him into three turnovers.
While the Jaguars enter riding a winning streak, the Texans have been mired in a terrible losing streak, dropping 10 games in a row, most recently a 34-31 decision against the Patriots.
The Texans really gave the Patriots a run for their money in that one. Quarterback Case Keenum completed 15 of 30 passes for 272 yards with an interception, adding a rushing touchdown. Ben Tate came back in a big way after rushing for just a yard on seven carries in the team’s previous game, rushing the ball 22 times for 102 yards and three scores against the Patriots. Top receiver Andre Johnson caught eight passes for 121 yards on the day.
The team’s defense held a strong Patriot offense in check for a large part of the day. The unit limited New England’s backs to just 3.3 yards per carry, although Tom Brady did have his way with the Houston secondary, completing 29 of 41 passes for 371 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman each racked up better than 100 yards receiving.
It’s tough to want to back the Jaguars, but the Texans just look lost right now, and have no business being favoured against anyone, let alone on the road. The Jacksonville faithful also tend to provide a decent home field advantage for prime time affairs.
The Texans are 0-3 ATS in three games versus
The play: Jacksonville ML +135
