Surging Texans will try to keep pace in wide-open AFC South when they face skidding Jets
HOUSTON (7-5) at NEW YORK JETS (4-8)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS
OPENING LINE: Texans by 5 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Texans 6-6; Jets 4-7-1.
SERIES RECORD: Jets lead 6-3.
LAST MEETING: Jets beat Texans 21-14 on Nov. 28, 2021, at East Rutherford, New Jersey.
LAST WEEK: Texans beat Broncos 22-17; Jets lost to Falcons 13-8.
TEXANS OFFENSE: OVERALL (6), RUSH (24), PASS (2), SCORING (10)
TEXANS DEFENSE: OVERALL (19), RUSH (9), PASS (26), SCORING (12)
JETS OFFENSE: OVERALL (31), RUSH (29), PASS (31), SCORING (30)
JETS DEFENSE: OVERALL (9), RUSH (28T), PASS (3), SCORING (13)
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Texans plus-7; Jets minus-4.
TEXANS PLAYER TO WATCH: CB Derek Stingley, the third overall pick in the 2022 draft, has been leading the team’s secondary since returning from a six-game absence with a hamstring injury. He has four interceptions in his past three games, capped by a two-INT performance in last week’s win over Denver that earned him AFC defensive player of the week honors. He’s the first player in the NFL this season to have four interceptions in a three-game stretch and is one of three this season to have at least one INT in three straight games.
JETS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Zach Wilson. After being benched for two games, Wilson is back under center for the Jets. New York also has Trevor Siemian and Brett Rypien on the roster, but coach Robert Saleh said Wilson gives the Jets “the best chance to win.” The 24-year-old quarterback has thrown for 1,944 yards and six touchdowns with seven interceptions in 10 games, including nine starts, this season.
KEY MATCHUP: Texans QB C.J. Stroud vs. Jets' pass rush. The rookie leads the NFL with 3,540 yards passing and he'll be squaring off against a New York defense that has gone 30 consecutive games without allowing a 300-yard passer.
KEY INJURIES: The Texans will be without rookie WR Tank Dell, the team’s second-leading receiver, after he broke his left fibula against the Broncos. ... S Jimmie Ward missed practice early this week with a shoulder injury, but should play Sunday. ... Jets RB Breece Hall (ankle) sat out practice early in the week, as did WR Jason Brownlee (ankle), OL Wes Schweitzer (calf) and DL John Franklin-Myers (ankle). ... TE C.J Uzomah was placed on IR with a knee injury.
SERIES NOTES: The Jets won the first five meetings, including the first in 2003 when LaMont Jordan capped a 19-0 comeback when he ran for an 8-yard touchdown with 1:21 left to give New York a 19-14 victory. ... The Texans won three in a row in the series before the Jets ended that streak in their most recent meeting in 2021. ... Houston is 2-3 at New York, including winning the past two at MetLife Stadium.
STATS AND STUFF: The Texans have won four of their past five and are tied with Indianapolis for second in the AFC South, one game behind Jacksonville. ... Stroud's league-leading 3,540 yards passing are the third most by a player in his first 12 games. The second overall pick last April has 20 TD passes with just five interceptions and hasn’t thrown an interception in his past two games. ... RB Dameon Pierce had his second rushing touchdown of the season last week. ... RB Devin Singletary has 391 yards of offense since Week 10, third most among running backs. ... WR Nico Collins set career highs with nine receptions for 191 yards last week. It was the most yards receiving by a Houston player since Will Fuller had 217 in 2019. Collins has three games this season with at least 140 yards receiving. ... WR Noah Brown has at least 150 yards receiving in two of his past three games. ... WR Robert Woods had six catches for 56 yards and a touchdown in his previous game against the Jets in 2020 with the Rams. ... TE Dalton Schultz has at least 65 yards receiving in two of his past three road games. ... TE Brevin Jordan had a career-high 64 yards receiving last week. ... Rookie DE Will Anderson, the No. 3 pick in the draft, had a career-high two sacks and deflected a pass that led to an interception last week. He's tied for second among rookies with five sacks. ... DE Jonathan Greenard had his team-leading eighth sack last week. … LB Blake Cashman has had at least six tackles in three straight games. He was a fifth-round pick by the Jets in 2019. ... Ward intercepted Russell Wilson in the end zone in the final seconds of last week’s game to seal the victory. ... The Jets are looking to snap a five-game losing streak, their longest skid since dropping six straight to end last season. ... Wilson returns to the starting role after being the Jets' No. 3 QB while Tim Boyle started the past two games. ... The Jets have scored fewer than two TDs on offense in eight straight games. They also have just two touchdowns total on offense in their past five games. ... New York's third down conversion efficiency (23.1%) and red zone conversion rate (27%) rank last in the NFL. ... Hall has just 72 yards on 43 carries in his past four games — an average of just 1.7 yards per attempt. ... After getting 1 1/2 sacks against Atlanta, DL Quinton Jefferson has a career-high six this season. ... S Ashtyn Davis combined with Quinnen Williams last week on a safety, making him the only player in the NFL since 2010 to record at least two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and one safety in a season.
FANTASY TIP: Singletary has been performing like an RB1 the past several weeks. He's facing a Jets defense that has struggled to stop the run, so Singletary might help lead you into the fantasy playoffs with a chance at another big week.
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