The Jacksonville Jaguars are off to a solid start to the 2025 season. Could it be better? You bet. Had they made a few more plays in Week 2, they would be 2-0. Then again, it could also be worse.
In spite of their shortcomings, the Jags are 1-1 and have many things going in their favor. For instance, they lead the NFL in rushing yards two weeks into the season. Their defense has also registered a league-best five takeaways, and their pass rush is much better than their sack totals may suggest.
Next, Jacksonville will welcome a 0-2 Houston Texans team that is still looking for its first win of the year. The Jaguars should be incentivized to hand their division foe their third loss in a row, as it would make them fall into a downward spiral, the perfect payback after knocking Trevor Lawrence out in their last encounter.
This begs the question, how do the Jags stack up against Houston in Week 3? With that in mind, here's a look at the odds ahead of the game.
The Jaguars have a slight edge vs. the Texans ahead of Week 3
The Jaguars are a two-point favorite in Week 3, per BetMGM. This means that bettors expect this one to be a close matchup that could go either way. The over/under for the game is 44.0 points at -105.
The Jacksonville moneyline is -125. Bet $125 to win $100 if the Jaguars beat Houston for a total payout of $225. The Texans moneyline sits at +105: Place a wager of $100 and win $105 if they defeat Jacksonville.
Remembers that the odds are continuously refreshed, so they can change at any moment before the game.
Related: 5 Jaguars who've seen their stock rise after Week 2
Brian Thomas Jr. will go off in the Jaguars vs. the Texans
The Houston Texans have struggled to put points on the scoreboard in the past two games, but the Jacksonville Jaguars offense hasn't been the model of consistency. One reason is that Brian Thomas Jr. has been underwhelming, reeling in a paltry five passes for 60 yards on 19 targets. Week 2 in particular was rough for the sophomore wideout.
It looked like Thomas wasn't making an effort to catch the ball, seemingly avoiding getting hit. The good thing is that despite his struggles, head coach Liam Coen and quarterback Trevor Lawrence are behind him, publicly showing their support for the former LSU Tiger.
Now, all players experience a funk at some point of his career. Does that justify Thomas' unremarkable production in 2025? That's up for debate, but the point is that the Jaguars expect him to bounce back, and it's easy to understand why. As Lawrence noted, Thomas is too talented not to make an impact, and he'll do just that when Jacksonville welcomes the Texans at EverBank Stadium.
Sure, Thomas will have to go against Derek Stingley Jr. However, he'll show that his start to the season is an outlier and will remind everyone just how dominant he is.
Prediction: 6 catches on 8 targets for 95 yards and 1 TD