Jacksonville Jaguars (7-8) vs. Houston Texans (2-12-1)
January 1, 2023 1:00 pm EDT
The Line: Houston Texans +4 / Jacksonville Jaguars -4; Over/Under: 43.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans meet Sunday in NFL action from NRG Stadium. Jacksonville is currently 7-8 overall. The Jaguars beat the Jets last Thursday. As for Houston, they’re 2-12-1 on the season and coming off a win versus the Titans. Check back all season long for free NFL picks at Sports Chat Place.
Jacksonville’s wins have come courtesy of the Colts, Chargers, Raiders, Ravens, Titans, Cowboys and Jets. The losses otherwise have been to the Commanders, Eagles, Texans, Colts, Giants, Broncos, Chiefs and Lions.
In Thursday’s game versus the Jets, the Jaguars were up 13-3 by the break. Jacksonville added a couple of field goals from there in a 19-3 win. Trevor Lawrence threw for 229 yards and had a rush TD. Travis Etienne rushed 22 times for 83 yards.
Over on the Houston side, they’ve got a tie this year versus the Colts and losses versus the Broncos, Bears, Chargers, Raiders, Titans, Eagles, Giants, Commanders, Dolphins, Browns, Cowboys and Chiefs. The wins have been over only the Jaguars and Titans.
On Saturday versus the Titans, Houston trailed 14-10 going into the final quarter. The Texans scored nine unanswered points from there and won 19-14. Davis Mills posted 178 pass yards, one TD and one pick. Royce Freeman led the rush on 32 yards off 16 carries.
The Jaguars are 4-0-1 ATS in their last five versus the AFC and 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven overall. Jacksonville is 3-8-1 ATS in their last 12 road games.
Meanwhile, the Texans are 2-7 ATS versus a team with a losing record and 5-1 ATS in their last six versus the AFC South. The under is 4-1 in Houston’s last five versus the AFC.
PICK: I’m going to stay with the Jaguars. These teams last met back on October 9 in a 13-6 Texans victory. The Jaguars out-gained Houston 422-248 and had 22 first downs to the Texans’ 15, however Jacksonville also had a couple of turnovers. I expect things to be different in this rematch, as they’re 4-1 over the last five games and playing pretty well overall (outside of the blowout loss to Detroit).
As for the Texans, they’re coming off a gritty win over the Titans despite hitting just 15 first downs and 5-of-14 on third-down tries. Houston is just 1-2 in their last three games but the two losses have come by a combined 10 points. I don’t think the Texans will get close enough to cover in this one, though.
