NFL Week 3 Excslusive Expert Picks

[ad]
The 0-2 Jacksonville Jaguars take on the 1-1 Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium this Sunday in a Week 3 AFC South Division showdown. The Jacksonville defense was impressive against Peyton Manning and the Colts in a narrow Week 1 defeat, but it was non-existent against Kurt Warner and the Cardinals in a 31-17 loss in Week 2.

Meanwhile, the Texans bounced back from an awful Week 1 performance to upset division rival Tennessee 34-31. These rivals last met in Week 13 a season ago with Houston winning 30-17 at home behind a big day from running back Steve Slaton. Houston has won four of the last six meetings to take an 8-6 lead in the all-time series. NFL lines makers have listed the Houston Texans as a 3.5-point favorite with the total set at 47.

If you’re looking to bet on the NFL this week, bet your NFL picks at BetUS where you can get up to 145% in sign up bonuses!

Home field has been good to the Texans in this matchup as they have won three straight over Jacksonville in Reliant Stadium. In fact, the Texans are 6-1 against the spread in their last seven home games against the Jaguars. But consistency has been an issue for Houston and it will have to avoid a letdown after a big win over Tennessee. The key to Houston’s success over the last couple seasons has been good quarterback play from Matt Schaub. The Texans are 8-2 when Schaub has a passer rating of 100 or better. It doesn’t hurt that he has one of the game’s best wideouts to throw to in Andre Johnson. Johnson got what ever he wanted against the Titans last week and now he gets a chance to terrorize a Jacksonville secondary that was just carved up by Kurt Warner. Reliant Stadium has been kind to Johnson as he is averaging 125 receiving yards per game over his last nine home games. It is also worth noting that the Texans are 4-0 against the spread in their last four versus the AFC South. If you like this trend to continue this week, bet the Texans at -3.5 at BetUS.

For Jacksonville to win this football game, it must get to Schaub and it must run the football effectively. Following an 11-5 regular season in 2007, the Jags felt a dominant pass rush was the only thing separating them from being an elite AFC team. So they drafted highly regarded ends Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves with each of their top two picks, but thus far these two are yet to shine. The Jags have managed only one sack this season.

Houston is not a dominant defensive team and it was absolutely gashed by Chris Johnson and the Tennessee running attack in Week 2. Expect Jacksonville to take a page out of Tennessee’s book this week. They would like to run the football to keep the explosive Houston offense off the field, much like Miami did against Indy last Monday night. I know that didn’t get Miami the win, but it gave the Dolphins the best chance to win. It is worth noting that since 2006, the Jags are an impressive 16-4 when gaining 150 or more rushing yards in a game. It is also worth noting that the Texans have not had much luck slowing down running back Maurice Jones-Drew. He has a 5.4 yards per carry average against Houston in his career. If you think Jacksonville has what it takes to get in the win column this week, bet the Jaguars at +3.5 at BetUS.

Dominate your sportsbook in Week 3 NFL action with the help of Jimmy Boyd’s NFL expert picks!