Thursday Night Football, Week 9. Tonight the New York Jets host the Houston Texans. According to our friends at Fanduel Sportsbook, the Jets are 2.5-point home favorites in this game.

The 6-2 Houston Texans are coming off a 23-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts. The Texans have won four of their last five games, their only loss in that stretch coming in a two-point loss to the Green Bay Packers. The Texans are a good, well-balanced team. They rank second in the NFL in yards allowed and ninth in yards gained. Those are the numbers that serious Super Bowl contenders often post. If there is a vulnerability for this team, it is in their pass defense. While it was excellent overall, the Texans were vulnerable because they left the receivers behind the defense. The result was a defense that allowed 16 passing touchdowns, good for 28th in the NFL. If the Jets want to win this game, they’ll probably have to succeed with some deep balls. The Jets will also have to limit turnovers against a defense that has forced nine in the last three games.

The 2-6 New York Jets come into this game on a five-game losing streak. Only the New Orleans Saints are currently on a longer losing streak. The hapless Jets only have one thing going for them this year. Despite all the team’s issues, the Jets have still fielded a pretty good pass defense. They currently rank 2nd in the NFL in passing yards allowed, 6th in sacks, and 11th in passer rating allowed. Last year, the Jets dominated CJ Stroud and the Texans en route to a 30-6 win. Stroud had the worst game of his professional career in that match. Much like tonight’s game, the Texans were missing most of their top receivers in that game. Tonight, Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins are absent, leaving only Tank Dell as the proven receiver to carry the load. If the Jets want to have any chance of winning tonight, the blueprint was set by last year’s win over this team. Eliminate a stumbling Texans passing attack and make them a one-dimensional team. Will it work? Probably not, but there is at least some reason to hope.

Despite the betting line, on paper this game looks like a mismatch in favor of the Texans. The Texans’ failed passing attack could provide an opening for the Jets to get a win here, but based on everything we’ve seen from the Jets this season, I’m taking the Texans to get the win on the road . If you’re betting, good luck, and please consider using our friends at Fanduel Sportsbook.