NFL Trends and Indexes - Week 5 (Thursday, October 4 - Monday, October 8)

[Udog]

NFL

Monday, October 8

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Tale of the tape: Texans at Jets
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Take a quick glance at the tale of the tape for Monday night’s showdown between the Houston Texans and New York Jets.

Offense

Houston has outscored its opponents by an NFL-high 70 points this season, the highest total for any team at this point since the 2009. Quarterback Matt Schaub, who ranks second in the AFC with a 105.3 passer rating this season, is a perfect 8-0 and has completed 142-of-215 passes (66.0 percent) for 1,835 yards with 12 TDs over his last eight starts. Oh yeah, and the Texans have one of the most potent rushing attacks (136.5 YPG) in the league.

New York Jets lost their top offensive star back last week when WR Santonio Holmes went down with a Lisfranc injury in his left foot during the team's 34-0 loss to the 49ers. San Francisco held the overmatched Jets to a measly 145 yards of total offense and nine first downs while forcing four turnovers. Tight end Dustin Keller could miss a fourth straight game with a hamstring injury along and rookie WR Stephen Hill could also sit out with a hamstring injury. New York's receiving corps is devastated with injuries, with second-year pro Jeremy Kerley now the primary option.

Edge: Texans


Defense

Texans DE J.J. Watt tallied two of the Texans' four sacks in their victory over the Titans last week. He has recorded 1 1/2-plus sacks in every game this season and has 7 1/2 on the year. He anchors a defensive unit that leads the AFC in scoring defense at 14.0 per game, total defense (273.0 yards a contest) and passing yards allowed (182.8).

49ers CB Carlos Rogers was quoted saying, “It seemed like they (Jets defense) didn’t want to be out there,” in a radio interview earlier this week. The Jets gave up 245 rushing yards and missed 17 tackles in the loss to San Francisco and appeared demoralized in the second half once the game was out of hand. New York ranks 21st in total defense and has to find a way to move on after losing CB Darrelle Revis to a season-ending knee injury.

Edge: Texans


Special teams

Texans K Shayne Graham has converted on seven of his eight field-goal attempts this season, but the Texans rank towards the back of the pack in punt and kick return averages.

New York’s special teams have been pretty good. Kicker Nick Folk is perfect in six field-goal attempts and Jeremy Kerley had a big punt return for a TD in Week 1.

Edge: Jets


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[Udog]

NFL

Monday, October 8

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Texans at Jets: What bettors need to know
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Houston Texans at New York Jets (9, 40.5)

Rex Ryan called this year's edition of the New York Jets his best team yet. Crushing injuries to two of his best players may prevent Ryan from ever finding out if he was right. New York will look to bounce back from a humiliating home loss to San Francisco when it hosts the undefeated Houston Texans on Monday night. The Jets absorbed another body blow this week when they learned that former Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes would be lost for the season with a Lisfranc injury suffered in Sunday's 34-0 loss. That robs the team of its best offensive playmaker one week after all-world cornerback Darrelle Revis suffered a season-ending knee injury.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN.

LINE: Texans -9, O/U 40.5

WEATHER: Forecasts are calling for temperatures in the low-50s under partly cloudy skies. Wind shouldn’t be a factor.

ABOUT THE TEXANS (4-0): Houston has fashioned its perfect record with the blueprint that Ryan has been seeking: A balanced offense built on a bruising running game and a dominating defense that leads the league in a slew of categories, including fewest points allowed per game (14). Three of the Texans' four wins have been by at least 20 points, and they led by 20 points before holding off a late comeback in a 31-25 win at Denver in Week 3. Quarterback Matt Schaub has looked sharp in his return from last season's Lisfranc injury, completing 67 percent of his passes and throwing for seven touchdowns against one interception. Arian Foster has scored four rushing touchdowns and is averaging 95 yards per game on the ground.

ABOUT THE JETS (2-2): New York is coming off a woeful effort in the loss to the 49ers, managing only 145 total yards and nine first downs. The whispers for Tim Tebow are getting louder after starting quarterback Mark Sanchez completed 13 of 29 passes for only 103 yards and an interception. It marked the third consecutive game that Sanchez has completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes. Rookie wideout Stephen Hill, the team's second-round draft pick, sat out last week's game with a concussion and could miss Monday's matchup. The ground game continues to go nowhere - running back Shonn Greene has rushed for only 97 yards on 41 carries in the last three games.

TRENDS:

* Texans are 1-4 ATS in their last five meetings.
* Under is 4-1 in the last five meetings.
* Texans are 7-1 ATS in their last eight road games.
* Jets are 1-4 ATS in their last five Week 5 games.

EXTRA POINTS:

1. Schaub has won eight consecutive starts dating to last season.

2. The Jets have won all five meetings with the Texans, including a 30-27 victory in November 2010 when Sanchez threw for 315 yards and three TDs.

3. Texans WR Andre Johnson needs 76 yards to reach 10,000 for his career.


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