NFL Picks And Predictions Week 8: Jaguars Vs. Texans

The Houston Texans were supposed to be easy favorites over the 2-5 Jacksonville Jaguars this week. The Jags' out-of-the-blue 12-7 dismantling of the Baltimore Ravens last week has made this a somewhat more difficult game to pick, however. Still, experts are in agreement that Houston should come out ahead in the end.

Starting with Peter King, who still takes the Texans to win, but expects Jacksonville to cover the 9.5-point spread in a 16-12 loss. King doesn't see the Jags having the necessary fire power to pull off the upset.

Question for Maurice Jones-Drew: Can you beat an NFL division leader all by yourself?

While the rest of the world was surprised by last week's win on Monday Night, SB Nation's Andrew Sharp says he knew better from the beginning.

Reminder: Every single year, Jack Del Rio wins just enough random games against good teams (like Monday's Ravens game) to keep his job, and ensure another year of hopelessness in JAX.

He predicts the Texans to roll, as does Pete Prisco of CBS Sports, who says the Jags are bound to fall after a big victory in front of a national stage.

They are coming off a Monday night victory, have a bye after this game, and it's also against the division leader. That's going to be tough to overcome. The Texans are a good offense, but the Jaguars are much improved on defense. Something gives. I say it's the Jaguars defense that gets the worst of it.

Elsewhere in the football-sphere, the Texans are still unanimous favorites to win. ESPN's panel took Houston across the board, as did CBS Sports and Yahoo!. ESPN's Accuscore likes Houston to cover, giving little credence to last week's upset. Despite the extra confidence in their step, the Jags are still significant underdogs this week.

Be sure to visit Odds Shark and our NFL Week 8 Odds StoryStream for more odds and lines in week 8. For more on this game, check out Big Cat Country and Battle Red Blog. Follow all the action from week 8 in the NFL at SB Nation.