Jets Look To Keep Pace In NFL Playoff Picture With Week 11 Visit To Texans
By Abraham Gutierrez
NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, will be the site for an AFC East vs. AFC South clash between two teams headed in opposite directions, as the (5-4) New York Jets pay a visit to the (3-5) Houston Texans in Week 11. Opening kickoff is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET and Texans and Jets fans alike can watch all the action live on CBS Sports.
Gang Green is coming off a disappointing loss against the Buffalo Bills, while the Toro's earned their third win of the season by defeating the Tennessee Titans in Week 8 prior to their bye week in 9. Coming out of the bye, Houston will face the tall task of handing the Cincinnati Bengals their first loss of the year on Monday Night Football on November 6 at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincy (Kickoff: 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN).
Texans 2015 NFL Season Record
The Texans come into Week 11 sporting an overall record of 3-5 on the year, which is good enough for second place in the AFC South. Houston is 2-2 at home and 1-3 on the road. Against intradivisional foes they are 2-1 and 2-3 versus intraconference teams such as the Jets. The Texans are also 1-2 versus non-conference teams, and come in with a 2-3 record in their last five games played.
Texans On Offense
Texans offensive coordinator is George Godsey, as he enters his second year with the organization, but the first as offensive coordinator – after serving as quarterbacks coach a year ago. Offensively, the Texans rank sixth in the league in passing (281.5), 10th in total yards (369.4), 23rd in points scored (21.8) and 28th in rushing yards per game (87.9).
Texans On Defense
Former NFL head coach, Romeo Crennel is at the helm of this Texans defense, as he enters his second season as DC in Houston. Under his tutelage, the Texans have a few areas the Jets can exploit. Defensively, this team ranks seventh in passing yards (227.4), 17th in total yards (350.9), 23rd in points allowed (25.6), and their weakest area is found in the running game, where they rank a disappointing 27th place in the league surrendering 123.5 yards per contest.
Texans Players To Watch
Offensively, the Texans player to watch is wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who's among the best receivers in the National Football League. In his third season out of Clemson, the D.W. Daniel High School product comes in third in the league in receiving yards. Hopkins has 66 catches on the year for a total of 870 yards and six touchdowns.
On the defensive side of the rock, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Chris Ivory and the Jets offense will have to find a way to account for Houston's three-headed monster of defensive end J.J. Watt, inside linebacker Brian Cushing and outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus. Watt comes into this game with 8.5 sacks, Mercilus has dumped opposing signal-callers 5.5 times, and Cushin leads the team in tackles (69).
Jets vs. Texans NFL Lines (Week 11)
According to NFL Week 11 betting oddsmakers, the New York Jets [-3] come into this game as three-point favorites despite being on the road against the Houston Texans [+3]. Also, defense is expected to decide the outcome of the game, this can be inferred by the fact that the OVER/UNDER is set at a combined total of 41 points.
Abe Gutierrez's (Twitter: @GutierrezAbe) passion led him to ditch law school journey in order to launch his own publishing company. His expertise make him a valued addition to Examiner.com, AXS.com and the CBS-Sports family. Some of his work can be found on CBS-Miami (Dolphins), CBS-LosAngeles (Chargers), CBS-BayArea (Raiders), CBS-NewYork (NY Jets), CBS-TampaBay (Buccaneers), AXS.com, Examiner.com and other online publications.
