Texans looking for elusive road win at Jacksonville

The Houston Texans are a little road-shy but will be looking forward to changing that against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, November 13th at EverBank Field. These are the online sportsbook odds for people who bet on NFL:

Houston Texans -1½ (-105) 43 (-110) 
Jacksonville Jaguars +1½ (-115) 43 (-110)

The Houston Texans (5-3) beat the Detroit Lions 27-9 to improve to 5-0 at NRG Stadium. QB Brock Osweiler finished 20 of 29 for 186 yards with one six-yard TD pass to tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz to put Houston up 7-0 in the second quarter, as well as a 12-yard pass to wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to set up a score by running back Lamar Miller, who rushed for 56 yards on 17 carries. The Texans scored on a field goal and recovered an onside kick and ran out the clock to ensure the win. Hopkins had four catches for 44 yards.

The Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6) lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 19-14 on Sunday, slightly hinting toward offensive improvement Nathaniel Hackett first foray as QB coach. And speaking of QBs, the King of Garbage Time Blake Bortles went 22 of 41 with two TD passes and one interception, but the Jags paid dearly for turning the ball over four times. “To run for 200 yards and throw for 200, or whatever, I thought it was awesome,” Bortles said. “If you look at the stat sheet minus the turnovers there’s no way you say Kansas City won.” Except, you know, for the part where Kansas City actually did win. But people who bet on NFL and who point that out are just picking nits.

The Texans are 0-3 on the road and it has been indeed a bumpy road, with trips to New England, Minnesota, and Denver. Four of the next five Texans games will be on the road, including a trip way down Mexico way. Houston is on top of the AFC South division but unless they start winning as visitors they won’t have much of a chance in the playoffs. Jacksonville might just be the perfect place to start. Though several Texans players have stated that the loud crowd noise was not a distraction, Jadeveon Clowney did say that it’s hard to win on the road for the same reason the Texans have found success at home.

While the Texans have problems winning t home, the Jags just have trouble winning, period. Bortles spent a week with a personal coach but did not play perceivably better on Sunday. He missed several receivers and threw one interception. Generally speaking, the Jags’ offense is lagging. In fact, they should be called the Jacksonville Laguars. The Jags turned the ball over three times on offense and had another turnover on a fumbled punt against the Chiefs. On the other hand, they had season-best rushing yards (205) and attempts (32). If that trend continues, fans who bet on NFL could expect further improvement versus the Texans, but it might not be enough.

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