Jets vs. Texans bleeds a familiar story
The 4-8 New York Jets are staring directly into a mirror when the 7-5 Houston Texans invade MetLife Stadium in Week 14.
Having surprised many a year ago—starting 5-2, 6-3, and then ultimately 7-4—the 2022 Jets mirror the 2023 Texans in a lot of ways. Both teams sport a record of 7-5 after 12 games.
More interestingly, both teams have head coaches who came from the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator role.
Both Robert Saleh and DeMeco Ryans are defensive minds, which has led the way to each team’s semi-surprising 7-5 start.
This Sunday, young C.J. Stroud and his Texans seek another victory en route to a shocking AFC playoff berth. Meanwhile, Zach Wilson takes back the reigns on the Jets side of things. It is a matchup of two number-two overall picks and a glimpse into what the Jets’ future could have been if they landed a quarterback like Stroud.
Jets vs. Texans game info
- New York Jets (4-8)
- Houston Texans (7-5)
- 2023 NFL Week 14
- Sunday, Dec. 10, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS
- MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NY
The Jets have their third straight home game, as the team hosted the Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons in the past two weeks. Both games were losses, effectively turning a once-promising season into a forgettable one.
This AFC matchup is slated for kickoff at 1:00 p.m. ET from MetLife Stadium. The announcers for the game are slated to be Kevin Harlan and Trent Green.
For the uniform combination, the Jets are set to wear their green jersey and white pants combination once again.
Week 14 fit. pic.twitter.com/8v7OM7uP8d
— New York Jets (@nyjets) December 9, 2023
Jets vs. Texans history
- The Jets lead the all-time series, 6-3.
With the Texans being a relatively new franchise, as they were founded in 1999, their matchup history with the in-conference Jets is not expansive yet.
The Jets own the series lead 6-3, but most of their success was early on in the matchup’s history. In the past four matchups, the Jets are 1-3.
The most recent matchup came in November 2021, with the Jets coming out victorious by a score of 21-13.
Jets vs. Texans odds (FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Spread: Jets +3.5 (-112), Texans -3.5 (-108)
- Moneyline: Jets +146, Texans -174
- Over/Under: 32.5 (O: -118, U: -104)
Currently, the Jets are listed as 3.5-point home underdogs against the Texans. Considering the status of the Jets’ offense, the talent of their defense, and the projected forecast that calls for rain, the O/U of 32.5 makes sense.
Jets vs. Texans injury report
New York Jets
- Aaron Rodgers: Out
- Wes Schweitzer: Out
- Jason Brownlee: Out
- Breece Hall: Questionable
- Carter Warren: Questionable
- John Franklin-Myers: Questionable
Despite playing in last week’s game, offensive lineman Wes Schweitzer is out this week with a calf injury and has been placed on injured reserve. Wide receiver Jason Brownlee is out with the ankle injury he suffered against the Falcons, and Aaron Rodgers is out with his Achilles injury.
Breece Hall is questionable with an ankle injury, but the running back and head coach Robert Saleh are both confident in his status for Sunday’s game. Defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers is also questionable with an ankle injury.
Most worrisome is Carter Warren, who popped up on the injury report Friday with a hip injury and is now questionable for the game. It is yet another injury to a player late in the week for the Jets that could affect their game on Sunday.
Houston Texans
- Dalton Schultz: Out
- Noah Brown: Questionable
- George Fant: Questionable
- Sheldon Rankins: Questionable
After losing rookie standout Tank Dell to a season-ending injury last week, the Texans will be without their top tight end, Dalton Schultz.
Their weapons might be further depleted if wide receiver Noah Brown, who was a non-participant on Friday, does not suit up on Sunday.
Fant was a full participant on Friday, meaning he should be good to go against his former team. Rankins’s status is still up in the air, as he only logged a limited practice on Friday.
Jets vs. Texans prediction
- New York Jets 10, Houston Texans 24
You can change the quarterback as many times as possible, but until there is consistency with the play-calling and offensive performance, I will not believe that the Jets can score enough to win a game.
The Jets defense will be a considerable challenge for C.J. Stroud and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. Combined with the predicted weather, they may be able to limit the overall production of what has been a high-powered Houston offense.
But at the end of the day, it all comes back to how the Jets’ offense performs. Even with Zach Wilson being able to “let it rip” this week, I feel that the Jets still make more mistakes than the Texans.
The Texans should be able to get some points against the Jets defense, and their defense should be able to force a turnover or two. With the expected points off the turnovers, that should be enough to tilt the game in Houston’s favor.
Give me the Texans over the Jets by a score of 24-10.
