Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans Betting Preview
NRG Stadium in Houston will host their home team, the Houston Texans, versus the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars and first overall pick Trevor Lawrence for a 1:00 PM EST Week 1 matchup on Sunday, September 12. The game will be televised on CBS.
Both of these teams missed out on the playoffs last season, but out of the two, Jacksonville has by far made the better moves to show at least some sort of improvement this season. Houston, on the other hand, is left with an inactive Deshaun Watson on their roster, as no team will trade for his services.
What Is There to Expect From Trevor Lawrence?
There has been a massive turn in leadership in Jacksonville, starting with the head coach and quarterback. No longer will we see Doug Marrone on the sideline for the Jaguars, as college coaching legend Urban Meyer has replaced him.
And forget about the magic of Gardner Minshew, as he was replaced by this year’s first overall pick in the NFL Draft, Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence, arguably the most hyped quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck, will make his NFL debut in Week 1, while Meyer makes his NFL head coaching debut.
And much like those two positions, there are changes up and down their roster. The Jaguars are fielding many new receivers such as Marvin Jones, and defensively they have faced the most turnover since their AFC Championship run in 2018.
However, they will have returning 1,000-yard rusher, James Robinson, returning to fulfill his role as starting running back after the injury of Travis Etienne.
Can Tyrod Taylor Claw this Team From the Dump?
Houston is in the stage of the rebuild, much like what Jacksonville endured last year. Star QB Deshaun Watson has been moved to the fourth-string quarterback spot as he is facing 22 civil lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct in massage sessions.
While his future in the league is uncertain, the Texans will go with now journeyman Tyrod Taylor as their starting quarterback. Head Coach David Culley is also making his NFL debut as a head coach after spending 27 years as an assistant in the league.
Statistically, this team was one of the worst last season, and they did not bring anyone in who will change that significantly.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans Betting Prediction
This game could honestly go either way, as both teams are experiencing rebuilds of enormous proportions. And while Houston could very well be one of the worst teams in the league this season with the absence of Deshaun Watson, there are stats on their side to win this game.
Jacksonville is listed as a three-point favorite on most sportsbooks, but only three #1 overall picks have won their rookie year Week One starts since the beginning of the Super Bowl Era, and it has not happened since David Carr in 2002.
I like that trend to end this weekend, with Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars covering the point spread and delivering the first win for Lawrence and Urban Meyer in their NFL careers.
Final Pick: Jacksonville Jaguars -3 (-110)
