Texans vs. Jets Total Prediction
The NFL will have a Saturday doubleheader this week, with Game 1 set to kick off between the Houston Texans and New York Jets at 4:30 p.m. ET. With the total sitting in the low-40s, will the game turn into a defensive struggle in East Rutherford?
Game Snapshot
303 Houston Texans at 304 New York Jets
4:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, December 15, 2018
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Texans are 6-point favorites to beat the Jets. The total, meanwhile, sits at 41.5 points. As of this writing, 71% of the public betting tickets are on the Texans to cover the point spread.
Houston Texans
Deshaun Watson completed 27-of-38 passes for 267 yards with one touchdown while rushing five times for 35 additional yards Sunday in Houston’s Week 14 loss to the Colts. He took five sacks for a loss of 41 yards. Sunday’s defeat spelled the end of Houston’s franchise record nine-game winning streak. Watson extended several plays by escaping the pocket in impressive fashion, though he often held onto the ball too long, which resulted in a number of drive-killing sacks. His lone touchdown pass was a thing of beauty as Watson eluded several tackles before firing a seven-yard bullet to DeAndre Hopkins in the back of the end zone. Watson enjoyed a streak of four straight 300-yard passing games early in the year but he’s been held in check recently, averaging just 209.7 passing yards over his last eight games. He’ll be a fringe QB1 when the Texans play the Jets in East Rutherford next Saturday.
New York Jets
Sam Darnold completed 16-of-24 passes for 170 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the Jets’ Week 14 win over Buffalo. Darnold re-injured his foot on the opening drive but returned after missing only one series. The entire Jets offense was held in check for most of the game, but Darnold managed to lead a go-ahead score in the final two minutes. Darnold’s touchdown was a highlight pass to Robby Anderson in the red-zone, though he was otherwise quiet in his first game back. It’s a step in the rigth direction after Darnold’s pre-injury struggles. Darnold gets another tough matchup with the Texans secondary in Week 15.
NFL Betting Trends
Houston
The under is 6-1 in the Texans’ last seven games after accumulating less than 90 yards rushing in their previous contest.
New York
The under is 4-1 in the Jets’ last five games after allowing more than 150 yards rushing in their previous game.
Prediction
The Jets pulled off a nice win in Buffalo last weekend, rallying from down in the second half. But Darnold’s best play was when he bailed out of the pocket, scrambled right, avoided defenders and then threw a touchdown pass on a broken play to help lead the New York comeback. Otherwise, Darnold was horrendous. Houston’s pass rush should eat Darnold alive and I don’t see how the Jets contribute enough points to help push the score over the total.
NFL Week 15 Prediction: Texans/Jets under 41.5