Wide receiver Stefon Diggs was diagnosed with a torn ACL, leaving Houston with one healthy starting wide receiver as New York looks to get its season on track after a horrid start.
Heading into the week nine matchup between the Houston Texans and New York Jets, many were left to believe that the Texans would be a significant favorite over the 2-6 Jets squad. After receiving news that wide receiver Stefon Diggs will miss the rest of this season due to an ACL tear, however, Houston goes into the game as a 1.5-point road underdog on FanDuel despite its more impressive 6-2 record on the year. New York has mightily struggled just to achieve its two victories, as the team has had to watch as quarterback Aaron Rodgers fails to find consistent chemistry with his group of playmakers.
The Jets traded for Rodgers’ former teammate in Green Bay, wide receiver Davante Adams, but the move has yet to result in a victory for the franchise, most recently losing to the now 2-6 Patriots in New England. To this point in the season, Rodgers has thrown for nearly 1900 yards and 12 touchdowns, but has also added seven interceptions. The stats don’t do justice to the amount of frustration Jets fans have felt watching as their offense can go from appearing elite with the likes of Rodgers, Adams, Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall, to struggling to muster really any production by the following week.
Houston has enjoyed expected success this season, as the Texans were one a few teams those around the league believed could reach the Super Bowl in February due to the talent it's roster contains. Led by 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year CJ Stroud at quarterback, the team came into the year with a number of dangerous playmakers for Stroud to throw the ball to, but he is now left with just one starter from that group.
Before the injury to Diggs occurred, the Texans lost Nico Collins to a hamstring injury right as Collins was emerging as one of the best wide receivers in all of football. Luckily, he will only miss one or two more weeks at the most due to his placement on injured reserve prior to week six. Tank Dell is really the only weapon left that Stroud came into the 2024-2025 season with, but Dell has failed to find consistency of his own after dealing with an injury of his own to begin the year. Having only accounted for 229 receiving yards and two touchdowns through eight games, Houston has chosen to lean more on running back Joe Mixon, who, and this may come as a shock, also missed three games this season before returning in week six.
Mixon has been an outstanding source of offense after being traded from Cincinnati to Houston during the offseason. The Texans rewarded Mixon with a contract extension before play began, and he has only proven that decision to be a smart one after generating 618 total yards and six touchdowns through just five games played. The Jets have been a good defensive team against the run for much of the season and will have to continue doing so if it hopes to limit the Texans’ time of possession and give Rodgers opportunities to put points on the board.
Rodgers will also have to withstand a strong Houston pass rush that includes Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. The two have already combined for 13 sacks on the season and could prove to be too much to handle for a Jets offensive line that has been poor through the first half of the year. If the Jets are to come out victorious at home, the defense will need to force Stroud into turnovers and limit Mixon’s ability to make a difference on the ground.
The line from FanDuel still leaves much to be questioned, though, as the Jets have lost to teams at home that the Texans have already beaten this season, such as the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots. A difference in roster talent is evidently clear as well even after accounting for the injuries to Collins and Diggs, as the Jets just don’t have the level of ability Houston has shown in 2024-2025 up to this point.
To potentially help the team’s defense, pass rusher Haason Reddick was able to work out a contract agreement with New York and is set to play his first game with the team on October 31 for Thursday Night Football. While Reddick may need time to shake off rust, the veteran defensive end has 50.5 sacks over his last four seasons, displaying his talent for disrupting the quarterback and creating havoc on passing downs.
At +108 on the moneyline, it would be hard for bettors to not take advantage of a 6-2 team being an underdog against a 2-6 squad and could even adjust the line to Houston -2.5 for example with better odds. Currently, adjusting the Texans to cover a 2.5-point spread would offer odds of +130 on FanDuel, with Houston only needing to win by a field goal in order to cash in on the favorable odds. If one were to think the Texans handle New York with relative ease given the talent discrepancy, taking Houston at -6.5 would offer odds of +255, but the team would need to be victorious by a full touchdown to cover.
The Jets have to be highly motivated, however, as the franchise needs to put together a win streak if it hopes to make the Playoffs at the end of the regular season. New York does have an easier slate of opponents in the second half, including the Arizona Cardinals, Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts. While a victory over Houston would put New York on the right path, it still currently has either a worse or even record with every opponent remaining on its schedule. Rodgers, Adams and the other playmakers for New York have to start building chemistry that leads to consistent positive performances week-to-week instead of once in a blue moon.
Houston has a strong hold on its lead in the AFC South, as the Colts are in second place but hold a record of just 4-4. The Texans don’t have as much motivation going into the week nine Thursday Night Football matchup with New York, but its advantage in overall roster talent should keep the game enough in Houston’s favor that the +108 will be one of the more popular bets of the week for all operators.
