Texans vs Jets Pick – Saturday Week 15

Houston Texans (9-4 SU, 6-7 ATS) vs. New York Jets (4-9 SU, 5-8 ATS)
When: December 15, 2018, 4:30 PM EST
Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
TV: NFL Network
BY: Rick Wise

Point Spread: HOU -6/NYJ +6 (Bovada)
Over/Under: 41.5

Takeaways From Week 14

The Houston Texans stumbled for the first time since week 3 after a 24-21 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, snapping their 9-game winning streak and shrinking their lead atop the AFC South to two games.

Houston brought the NFL’s third-ranked ground game into Indianapolis Sunday with an average of 140 yards per outing (146 per during their 9-game winning streak) but got stuffed to the tune of 89 total yards. Deshaun Watson led all rushers with 35 yards on 5 carries, which of course means the running backs were a nonfactor. Lamar Miller totaled 33 yards on 14 attempts and Alfred Blue carried 6 times for 21 yards and a touchdown.

Defensive backs Jonathan Joseph, Kareem Jackson, Tyrann Mathieu and Justin Reid got absolutely torched by Andrew Luck. Again. Luck followed the 464 yards he had when these two met in week four with 399 yards this time out, including 199 yards to wide receiver T.Y. Hilton.

Meanwhile, the Jets snapped their six-game losing streak with a 27-23 victory over the AFC East rival Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

In his first game back after missing the previous three with a foot injury, Sam Darnold engineered the first 4th quarter comeback of his career. He led touchdown drives of 81 yards and 61 yards to complete the come from behind win, including a highlight reel scramble in which he reversed field and threw a 7-yard dart to Robby Anderson in the end zone.

Andre Roberts had kick returns of 51 and 86 yards, both of which put points on the board. The first led to a 21-yard Jason Myers field goal while the second set up rookie running back Trenton Cannon for a 4-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

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The Historicals

The New York Jets and the Houston Texans have met just seven times dating back to 2003 and the Jets lead the series 5-2-0. However the Texans have won the last two meetings, including their last one in 2015.

Injury Concerns

• For Houston, listed as questionable for Sunday’s game are C Zach Futon (hand) and WR Keke Coutee (hamstring).

• For New York, listed as questionable for Sunday’s game are RB Isaiah Crowell (foot), WR Quincy Enuwa (ankle) and LB Jordan Jenkins (ankle).

When the Texans have the Ball

The Colts managed to keep the Houston offense in check last time out, both through the air and on the ground. That’s not likely to be the case on Sunday, particularly on the ground. The Texans own the NFL’s 3rd-ranked rushing game while the Jets rank 27th against the run. Things are a little tighter through the air, though, where the Texans bring the league’s 13th-ranked passing game and the Jets rank 16th against the pass.

When the Jets have the Ball

Sam Darnold is back, which may not be good for the Jets’ 2019 draft position. The win over Buffalo looks good on the surface but it dropped them from the likely number one overall pick down to the number five pick with three games left on the slate. And with the Jets already mathematically eliminated from the postseason, the only thing left to take the field for is a high draft position. So, in that respect every win is a step in the wrong direction. In any case, they’ll be up against a Houston defense that ranks 24th in the NFL against the pass and 5th against the run.

Betting Trends

• Houston is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
• Houston is 6-12 ATS in its last 18 games
• Houston is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games
• The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Houston’s last 9 games
• Houston is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
• Houston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
• Houston is 7-16 SU in its last 23 games on the road
• The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston’s last 7 games on the road
• Houston is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing NY Jets
• Houston is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing NY Jets
• NY Jets is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games
• NY Jets is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games
• The total has gone OVER in 7 of NY Jets’s last 10 games
• NY Jets is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games at home
• NY Jets is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home
• The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Jets’s last 5 games at home
• NY Jets is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Houston
• NY Jets is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Houston

Weather Report

Game time temperatures for this one are expected to hit 47 degrees with a 47 percent chance of rain and 11 mph NNW winds.

Rick Wise’s NFL Pick: Houston +6