Texans Favored Over Jags

NFL News - September 21st, 2009 - Written by John

Nobody in the history of the NFL has been more efficient passing the ball in a game than Kurt Warner was last week against the Jaguars.

Now, Jacksonville is up against another elite passing attack when Matt Schaub and the Texans host the winless Jaguars in Week Three.

Warner broke Vinny Testaverde's 16-year old record, completing 92.3 percent of his passes, going 24 of 26  for 243 yards and two touchdowns, all before being pulled in the fourth quarter so back-up Matt Leinart could get some reps. It was a good sign for the Cardinals after suffering a surprising loss to San Francisco in the opener, but a bitter sign for the Jags, who have already been marred in the headlines for a hilarious attendance rate, selling less than half of their seats and being blacked out three times, including the preseason. The lone bright spot from Sunday's drubbing was that only about 25, 000 people actually saw it happen.

Still, Jacksonville has the talent to be competitive and only goes into Houston as four-point underdogs. This game is getting the second-highest over/under on BetUS at 47, just behind the game predictibly featuring the New Orleans Saints.

The Texans have been surprisingly successful against the Jaguars in recent years. Since 2006, they are 4-2, splitting the season series in each of the last two years. In both '07 and '08, Jacksonville won the first game before Houston rebounded in the next meeting.

For the Jaguars, the key so far has been Maurice Jones-Drew, the feature back now that Fred Taylor is gone. He hasn't quite hit his stride yet, leaving many Fantasy owners who took him in the top-3 chewing their finger nails. He ran for a score in Week One and has an average of 4.8 per carry. But he hasn't hit the 100-yard mark yet and only got 13 carries against the Cardinals because his team was playing catch-up from the beginning.

Not that a record day would be enough to beat Houston. After all, Tennessee's Chris Johnson ran around like he was in P.E. class last week against the Texans, gaining 284 total yards with three touchdowns. He had two touchdown runs of at least 50 yards. A performance like that would be appreciated by Jags coach Jack Del Rio, but it will be vital for his team to slow down Schaub. It has already been proven that the Texans go as he goes.

In the first week, he was held to 166 yards through the air and lost to the Jets by 21. Last week he let loose and had 357 yards and four touchdowns and won by three. Andre Johnson had 149 of those yards, including a highlight-reel catch in the back of the end zone.

It will be an important game also because of divisional implications. Last year's winner Tennessee is already in the mud, starting 0-2, and the winner here will have a leg up on challenging unbeaten Indianapolis for the crown.

To discuss this and other NFL related stories be sure to check out our new forum at:
https://www.usaplayers.com/forums/nfl-news/