Featured Game: Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (-1.5, 43.5)
Time: 1 pm ET/10 am PT
Television: CBS
We’ve got an AFC South matchup on tap in Sunday’s early window, and I’ll be honest: Even with the Texans being 0-2 to start the year, this spread perplexes me a bit.
Houston has lost to two playoff-quality teams (the Rams and the Bucs) by a combined total of five points. The Texans’ defense has actually played quite well, for the most part, and while C.J. Stroud has yet to get going, it’s not like he’s had it easy going up against two strong opponents.
With regard to the Jaguars…are we sure they’re any good? They cruised over a bad Carolina team in the lid-lifter before falling to Cincinnati, a team without Joe Burrow for most of the game. The Jags did force a few turnovers in that game, but they also yielded 302 passing yards (most of which came from Jake Browning after he relieved Burrow).
While I think the Texans have room to improve, I don’t think the same thing can be said for Jacksonville. This seems like a “get right” spot for Stroud and company, and I think the underdog is a great play here.
Prediction: Houston +1.5 (and a sprinkle on the moneyline may not be a bad idea, either)
