Thursday Night Football Week 9 Picks: Expect a Lack of Scoring Opportunities Between Two Reeling Offenses

• The Houston Texans offense ranks below league average in Off DVOA, EPA, and Success Rate

• Star wide receiver Stefon Diggs suffered an injury and will miss Thursday night’s contest

• The New York Jets front seven ranks top-10 in Def Adjusted Sack Rate and Pressure Rate

Even after the trade for star wide receiver Davante Adams, the New York Jets have yet to get back into the win column and are in jeopardy of missing out on the playoffs. At 2-6, the Jets offense needs to quickly round back into form and spark a hot stretch of play should they want to salvage their playoff hopes. Unfortunately for New York, the AFC South leading Houston Texans will do them no favors as the Texans' defense ranks above league average in Def DVOA, EPA, and Success Rate.

While the Texans defense have continued to play at a high level, their offense suffered a serious blow after their star wide receiver Stefon Diggs went down with a knee injury. While nothing has been confirmed as of writing, it’s expected Diggs will be out for the foreseeable future. Without Diggs and Nico Collins, the Texans' pass attack will take a major step back in pass production. Fortunately for Houston, Joe Mixon will have the opportunity to thrive as the Jets defense struggles to stop the run.

As for where to wager on Thursday night’s AFC Conference matchup between the Houston Texans and New York Jets, Caesars Sportsbook has been the front-runner for the NFL as they offer an abundance of markets for their users to choose from. If you have not signed up yet with Caesars Sportsbook, you can get up to $1,000 back in the form of bonus bets should you lose your first bet after creating an account with the WSN promo code WSN1000.

Under 42.5 (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook 

Heading into the year, it was widely believed that the Houston Texans would field one of the more formidable offenses in the league after the acquisitions of Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon. Eight weeks into the season, that has yet to be the case as the Texans' offense ranks below league average in Off DVOA, EPA, and Success Rate. To make matters worse for Houston, they will now be without Stefon Diggs after he suffered an injury last Sunday.

With Nico Collins still on IR, the Jets' secondary will get the benefit of shading their coverage towards Tank Dell. Defending against the pass in the middle of the field has been a strength for the Jets' defense as they enter Thursday night ranked top-10 in Def Pass Success Rate. With the Jets front seven also getting the chance to routinely collapse the pocket against a Texans offensive line that grades out poorly in Adjusted Sack Rate, value shades towards the under as there may be a lack of scoring opportunities.

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Alt Under 38.5 (+154) at FanDuel Sportsbook 

Not only will Houston’s offense be prone to regress while without their top two receivers, the New York Jets will also find it tough to generate offensive production as they face off against a Texans defense who ranks above league average in Def DVOA, EPA, and Success Rate. With the Jets offensive line ranking dead last in Adjusted Line Yards, Houston’s defense will get the benefit of being able to just rush their front four while dropping the rest back in coverage. Expect the heavy coverage to continue to give Aaron Rodgers fits, halting their downfield progression for early outs and stalled-out drives.

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Texans +7.5/Bengals -1.5 Six Point Teaser (-125) at Caesars Sportsbook 

With the Texans being listed at +1.5, they make for the perfect six point teaser piece as you can get them above the key number of seven in what should be a close game. Even with injuries decimating their offense, the Texans' Joe Mixon will still have the opportunity to gash the Jets front seven as New York ranks below league average in Def Rush DVOA, EPA, and Success Rate.

As for who to pair with the Texans, the Cincinnati Bengals make for a great second leg as you can get them down to -1.5 against the lowly Las Vegas Raiders. Joe Burrow and company should have no issue with moving the ball down the field and into scoring territory against a defense that ranks below league average in Def Pass DVOA and Adjusted Sack Rate. The Bengals also get the benefit of masking their own lack of defensive production as the Raiders rank near dead last in both Pass and Rush DVOA.

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