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**TheGame** · 12-04-2013, 08:44 AM

ATS Trends

Houston

Texans are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games after allowing more than 250 yards passing in their previous game.
Texans are 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 games after scoring more than 30 points in their previous game.
Texans are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games after allowing less than 90 yards rushing in their previous game.
Texans are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games on grass.
Texans are 4-11 ATS in their last 15 games after allowing more than 350 total yards in their previous game.
Texans are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games after accumulating more than 250 yards passing in their previous game.
Texans are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 road games.
Texans are 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games overall.
Texans are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 vs. AFC.
Texans are 1-5 ATS vs. a team with a losing record.
Texans are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games after accumulating more than 350 total yards in their previous game.
Texans are 0-7 ATS in their last 7 games following a ATS win.
Texans are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 vs. AFC South.

Jacksonville

Jaguars are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 vs. AFC.
Jaguars are 5-12 ATS in their last 17 games overall.
Jaguars are 10-29-1 ATS in their last 40 games after allowing more than 350 total yards in their previous game.
Jaguars are 2-6 ATS vs. a team with a losing record.
Jaguars are 2-8-1 ATS in their last 11 games following a S.U. win.
Jaguars are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games following a ATS win.
Jaguars are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
Jaguars are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games after allowing more than 250 yards passing in their previous game.
Jaguars are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 Thursday games.
Jaguars are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 home games.

OU Trends

Houston

Over is 4-0 in Texans last 4 games after allowing less than 90 yards rushing in their previous game.
Over is 5-0 in Texans last 5 games after accumulating more than 350 total yards in their previous game.
Over is 4-0 in Texans last 4 games following a ATS win.
Under is 4-0 in Texans last 4 road games vs. a team with a losing home record.
Over is 4-1 in Texans last 5 games overall.
Over is 4-1 in Texans last 5 games on grass.
Over is 4-1 in Texans last 5 games following a S.U. loss.
Under is 4-1 in Texans last 5 games after accumulating more than 250 yards passing in their previous game.
Under is 11-3 in Texans last 14 games after scoring more than 30 points in their previous game.
Over is 17-5 in Texans last 22 games after allowing more than 250 yards passing in their previous game.
Under is 6-2 in Texans last 8 games in December.
Over is 5-2 in Texans last 7 games in Week 14.

Jacksonville

Over is 4-1 in Jaguars last 5 games overall.
Over is 4-1 in Jaguars last 5 games on grass.
Under is 4-1 in Jaguars last 5 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
Over is 4-1 in Jaguars last 5 games after scoring more than 30 points in their previous game.
Under is 11-3-1 in Jaguars last 15 vs. AFC South.
Under is 7-2 in Jaguars last 9 home games.
Over is 5-2 in Jaguars last 7 games following a S.U. win.
Under is 20-8-1 in Jaguars last 29 vs. AFC.
Under is 9-4-1 in Jaguars last 14 games after allowing more than 250 yards passing in their previous game.

Head to Head

Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
Under is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings in Jacksonville.
Road team is 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 meetings.

**TheGame** · 12-04-2013, 08:56 AM

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Event Details

8:25 PM EST on December 05, 2013

70° F/ 21° C
Partly Cloudy

**TheGame** · 12-04-2013, 11:58 AM

NFL Week 14

Texans (2-10) @ Jaguars (3-9) — Jax won three of last four games after an 0-8 start, but all three wins were on road; they upset Texans 29-27 (+11) for their first win in Week 10, recovering three Houston fumbles (+2 turnovers) in game where Texans converted 10-18 on 3rd down and were outgained by 148 yards. Jaguars won field position battle in last six games (+8 vs Texans) after losing it in first six; they’re 0-5 at home, with 27-14 loss to Arizona closest of five games. Houston lost its last 10 games, despite scoring 23+ points in four of last five; they’re 2-9-1 vs spread this year, 0-6 when favored. Texans lost last four road games after winning season opener at San Diego by a FG. Texans won five of last six series games, winning 24-14/27-7 in last two visits here. Series was swept in six of last nine years. Jags were -9 in turnovers their first five games; they’re +3 in last seven- road team covered their last seven games. Home teams are 1-5-1 vs spread in AFC South divisional games. Four of last five Houston games, six of last eight Jaguar games went over the total.

**TheGame** · 12-04-2013, 10:36 PM

NFL Thursday Night Football Betting: Texans at Jaguars
By Covers.com

Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars (+3, 43)

The Houston Texans' franchise-record losing streak is up to 10 games, and even Thursday's trip to Jacksonville no longer seems like an easy win for the defending AFC South champions. The Texans let one slip away Sunday, falling 34-31 to visiting New England after leading by 10 at halftime and being up by three in the fourth quarter. Jacksonville rallied for a 32-28 win at Cleveland last week, its third win in the last four games after dropping eight straight to start the season.

While the Texans are playing their way into contention for the top pick in next year's draft - they own the league's worst record at 2-10 - the Jaguars' chances of picking first are fading, as they're one of four teams at 3-9. Jacksonville has yet to win in front of its home crowd but has three straight games to try and change that, with Buffalo and Tennessee visiting the next two weeks. "We don't look ahead much, but I said, 'We have a great opportunity with three (home) games in a row,' " Jaguars coach Gus Bradley told the team's website. "It doesn't make it any more important than an away game, but it is special to play at home."

WEATHER: Temperatures in the high 60s with a 14 percent chance of rain and winds blowing SE from corner to corner at 5 mph.

LINE: Houston opened at -2.5 and has been bet up to the key number of -3. The total has jumped to 43.5 at some markets.

COVERS POWER RANKINGS: Texans (+6.0) - Jaguars (+6.5) + Home Field (-3.0) = Jaguars -2.5

ABOUT THE TEXANS (2-10, 3-9 ATS): Houston did a lot of things right against the Patriots, including rushing for a franchise-record four touchdowns and scoring TDs on all three of its trips to the red zone. Quarterback Case Keenum has played fairly well despite being winless in six starts, passing for 1,433 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions, and the ground game continues to produce even with Arian Foster on injured reserve following back surgery. Statistically, the Texans should be better than their 2-10 record - they rank 10th in total offense and third in total defense - but a minus-12 turnover margin contributes to their ranking 29th in scoring offense and 27th in scoring defense.

ABOUT THE JAGUARS (3-9, 4-8 ATS): Jacksonville aims for its first three-game winning streak since 2010 as the league's last-ranked offense has shown signs of life recently. Chad Henne has taken over the starting quarterback job for the remainder of the season and led the Jaguars on an 80-yard drive for the winning score against the Browns. The defense still ranks 30th in scoring and 25th in total yards but turned in a dominant performance in a 13-6 win at Houston two weeks ago.

TRENDS:

* Under is 4-1 in the last five meetings.
* Under is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings in Jacksonville.
* Road team is 4-0-1 ATS in their last five meetings.
* Jaguars are 0-5 ATS in their last five home games.

EXTRA POINTS:

1. Jacksonville has recorded eight takeaways in the last four games, matching the total from its first eight contests.

2. Houston WR Andre Johnson has 49 career 100-yard receiving games and has caught a pass in 113 consecutive contests.

3. The Jaguars have topped 100 yards rushing in two straight games after failing to do so in their first 10.

**TheGame** · 12-04-2013, 10:38 PM

Texans at Jaguars
By Sportsbook.ag

HOUSTON TEXANS (2-10) at JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (3-9)

Sportsbook.ag Line: Houston -3, Total: 43

The Texans hope to wake up from a nightmarish 10 straight losses when they visit the upstart Jaguars on Thursday night.

Houston is 3-7 ATS during its skid, but it has lost each of the past six games by seven points or less, falling 34-31 at home to New England last week.

Since starting the season 0-8, Jacksonville is 3-1 (SU and ATS), with all three victories coming on the road, including last week’s 32-28 win in Cleveland. But at home, the Jags are 0-4 (SU and ATS) and losing by an average score of 29 to 6. Before the Texans lost 13-6 to the Jags in an ugly game two weeks ago, they had won five straight in this series (4-1 ATS).

Both teams have negative betting trends working against them, as Houston is 5-17 ATS (23%) versus very bad defensive teams (27+ PPG allowed) since 1992, while Jacksonville is 2-9 ATS (18%) as a home underdog over the past two seasons.

The Texans had hoped to get TE Owen Daniels (broken fibula) back in time for this game, but he has already been ruled out. The only significant recent injury for the Jaguars is DE Jeremy Mincey, who is questionable with a knee injury that has forced him to miss the past two games. The Texans are averaging a paltry 19.2 PPG (4th-worst in NFL), despite gaining 365 total YPG (10th in league).

They are subpar both on third downs (34.7%, 24th in NFL) and in the red zone (52% touchdowns, 20th in NFL), but have cut down their turnovers with just six giveaways in six games since QB Case Keenum has taken over. Keenum is completing 54% of his passes for 1,433 yards (7.5 YPA), 8 TD and 3 INT, but he had a rough game against the Jags two weeks ago when he was 18-of-34 for 169 yards (5.0 YPA), 0 TD and two sacks taken in a 13-6 loss. Top RB Ben Tate also had a horrible game in that defeat, rushing seven times for just one yard.

However, in Tate's two career games in Jacksonville, he has rushed for 100 yards on 17 carries (5.9 YPC) with two touchdowns. Tate is also coming off a monster performance against New England, rushing for 102 yards (4.6 YPC) and three touchdowns.

Top WR Andre Johnson also struggled against the Jags (two catches for 36 yards), but he caught eight passes (on nine targets) for 121 yards last week, giving him 1,123 yards this season. With TE Owen Daniels still out, TE Garrett Graham will continue to see plenty of passes headed his way, as Graham has garnered 32 targets over the past three games.

Defensively, Houston allows 26.9 PPG (27th in NFL), despite ranking third in the league in total defense (304 YPG) and second in passing defense (188 YPG). The Texans have been gashed in the red zone though (68% touchdowns, 2nd-worst in NFL), and have been unable to generate turnovers on a consistent basis, tallying just nine takeaways for the entire season, including only one in the past three games combined.

The Jaguars rank last in the NFL in scoring offense (14.5 PPG), total offense (286 YPG), rushing offense (71 YPG) and red-zone efficiency (37% touchdowns). But they have averaged a respectable 22.0 PPG in their past four contests despite gaining only 284 total YPG.

QB Chad Henne is coming off his first multi-touchdown game of the season, throwing for 195 yards and 2 TD in the victory over the Browns. For the season, he has completed 61.4% of his passes, but has only 2,319 passing yards (211 YPG, 6.5 YPA), 6 TD and 10 INT. His favorite target is WR Cecil Shorts, who caught four fourth-quarter passes in last week's win, capping his day with a 20-yard TD reception in the game's final minute. He also had eight catches for 71 yards in the victory in Houston two weeks ago.

But the real story of that matchup was RB Maurice Jones-Drew who totaled 144 yards from scrimmage and scored the game's only touchdown. He is in the midst of a career-worst season with 3.2 YPC, but has reached the end zone in four straight games. Jones-Drew has also loved facing the Texans in his career, piling up 803 total yards (114.7 YPG) and 8 TD in seven starts against them.

Jacksonville's defense has looked like a new team coming out of its Week 9 bye, especially the run defense which has allowed only 68 rushing YPG on 2.7 YPC in the past four games. This is quite an improvement from the 162 rushing YPG on 4.8 YPC allowed in the first eight weeks. However, a lot of this is due to teams choosing to throw all over the Jags, compiling 291 passing YPG in this four-week stretch.

This Jacksonville squad still ranks third-worst in the NFL in scoring defense (29.3 PPG), fourth-worst on third downs (43%), and is tied for 25th in red-zone efficiency (60% touchdowns). The Jags have done a better job recently of taking the football away though, with eight forced turnovers in the past four games.

**TheGame** · 12-05-2013, 01:04 PM

Tale of the Tape: Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans

The "battle" for the top pick in next year's NFL draft takes center stage Thursday night when the Houston Texans visit the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Houston has the upper hand in the race for the No. 1 selection, losers of 10 consecutive games and owners of the worst record in the league. Jacksonville is marginally better at 3-9, but has won two straight games and three of its last four - including a 13-6 triumph over the Texans on Nov. 24.

Check out the matchup in our betting tale of the tape:

Offense

Despite being on a miserable losing skid, the Texans have actually been moderately productive on offense. The Texans come into Week 14 having generated the 10th-highest yardage total in the NFL (4,383), including an average of 248.5 passing yards. The rushing game has remained decent despite the absence of Pro Bowl running back Arian Foster, sitting 14th in the league in yardage (1,401) with six touchdowns - three of which were scored by Ben Tate last weekend.

The Jaguars have been a mess on offense, failing to sustain drives while dealing with an injury to starting quarterback Blaine Gabbert and a suspension to star-wide receiver Justin Blackmon. Jacksonville ranks 23rd in passing yardage, with just eight touchdowns through the air and 17 touchdowns - tied for the second-most in the league. The run game has been an abomination, racking up just 847 total yards on three yards per carry with seven touchdowns.

Edge: Houston

Defense

The Texans' defensive statistics against the pass are positively mind-boggling. While Houston has allowed just 2,255 yards through the air - the second-fewest next to Seattle - it has surrendered 20 touchdowns while snagging a league-low five interceptions and registering a paltry 28 sacks. Houston has struggled against the run so far this season, allowing the 13th-most yards (1,392) while surrendering 4.1 yards per carry and 10 touchdowns on the ground.

As with the offense, Jacksonville's defense has been tormented all season long. The Jaguars have surrendered 3,008 passing yards - 10th-most in the NFL - while giving up 23 touchdowns through the air against just seven interceptions. Jacksonville's 20 sacks are the fewest in the league through the first 12 games of the campaign, and they've permitted the fourth-most rushing yards (1,565) and second-most rushing touchdowns (16) to date.

Edge: Houston

Special Teams

Houston has had a strong kick return game so far in 2013, averaging the eighth-most yards per kickoff return (25.1) while ranking 23rd in punt-return average (8.1) but having recorded an 87-yard punt-return touchdown. The Texans have also allowed a punt-return score, while giving up the fourth-most average kickoff return yards (26). Kicker Randy Bullock has had one of the roughest seasons of anyone in his profession, missing on nine of his 29 field-goal tries.

Jacksonville is elite on kickoff returns - averaging 25.8 yards per attempt - but downright putrid when it comes to punt returns, managing a league-low 4.3 yards per attempt. Opposing teams have struggled against the Jaguars' special teams defense, averaging just 21.6 yards per kickoff return and 7.5 yards per punt return. Veteran kicker Josh Scobee hasn't been busy, but he has been solid when called upon, converting 17-of-19 field-goal opportunities.

Edge: Jacksonville

Notable Quotable

"It's a challenging day. I'm used to seeing competition and who's fighting for the ball and all that, and we've had to tone it back with no pads. it's been a challenge, but it's the right thing to do." - Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley on electing to have his players practice without pads for the short week

"We struggled to get the ball to anybody that day, it wasn't just Andre. We just really struggled in the passing game to execute and they did a great job against us, especially up front. I can say it just wasn't a very good performance on our part, it wasn't just about Andre." - Texans head coach Gary Kubiak on receiver Andre Johnson's struggles in the previous game against the Jaguars

**TheGame** · 12-05-2013, 01:04 PM

Where the action is: Bettors like Texans, Over

A couple of also-rans take the national stage in the Week 14 edition of Thursday Night Football. We talk to Michael Stewart, an oddsmaker with Carbonsports.ag about the action coming in on this primetime matchup and where the odds could end up come kickoff Thursday night.

Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars - Open: +2.5, Move: +3.5

The Jaguars are suddenly on a hot-streak as they've won three of their last four games overall and are 3-1 ATS over that stretch. Still, these teams are as bad as it gets in the grand scheme of things and have a combined record of 5-19.

As awful as the Texans have been, sportsbooks began writing Texans tickets as soon as lines became available.

"Early action has come in on Texans and we went to -2.5 (-115), then -2.5 (-120) and then we booked sharp action on the Texans, pushing us to that very key number of 3," Stewart tells Covers. "Last night we went to -3.5 (-105) /+3.5 (-115) and at that number we’ve booked two-way action."

Even though the Jags are hot, all three of their wins have come on the road and EverBank Field does not really strike fear into visitors.

"No question I believe we opened this game a bit short," says Stewart. "The Jags have no real home-field advantage and while they have the better overall record and ATS record, the Texans are still looked up by the betting public as the vastly superior team. So far 60 percent of the action is on the Texans."

The majority of wagering outlets opened the total at 43 and bettors have been backing the Over all week. The number has gone up slightly and Stewart believes it could move a bit more as kickoff approaches.

"As for the total, we opened 43 and pretty much all the early money was on the over," he says. "We went to 43.5 Wednesday morning and we’ve been dealing that total since. Nearly 75 percent of the money is on the over and I wouldn’t be surprised if we pushed it a tick higher to 44 as we get closer to game time."

Announcement

Thursday Night NFL. Houston at Jacksonville. Betting Info

Thursday Night NFL. Houston at Jacksonville. Betting Info

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