The Houston Texans trudge into the AFC South Toilet Nowl as they face off against the 0-4 Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Both teams are in desperate need of a win to turn around their disappointing season. For Houston, the seats are getting hotter for the General Manager and coaching staff as the chances to make the playoffs are close to zero. For the Titans, they are looking for any sign of life from a team whose been a bottom dweller in the league for half a decade.
Last year, the Texans blew out the Titans
in Week Three 26-0 to jumpstart their season. This year’s matchup take place in Week Four, but may be too little, too late for the Texans to turn around their disastrous start. If you’re looking for a little extra incentive on the game, check out the below lines to get you started.
The Spread: Texans -6.5
As I said last week, until the Texans win a game, its hard to put money on the side of them winning. They’ve been favored in all four contests this year and would have placed betting fans in a hole w
Spotting the Titans almost a full touchdown is extremely generous given how porous the Texans’ defense has been. The Titans have lost by less than seven points three of their four matchups so far. Given they’ve been playing in tight games, though losing, it’s close to impossible for me to suggest taking the Texans’ spread this time.
Moneyline: Texans -330
The Texans entire franchise has their backs against the wall. A loss against the Titans would most certainly spell change for the front office and Texans coaching staff. Of all games this season, this has to be the most “must win” to save the season and half of the assistant coaches jobs. The Texans are on paper the better team. The offense looked improved with Nico Collins in the lineup. The Texans recently opened Tank Dell’s 21-day practice window, which means he could possibly play against the Titans. IF that’s the case, it would be a major addition to a fledging offense simply trying to survive.
The Texans defense surprisingly has been the issue of late. They’re one of the worst in the league against the pass and have let up the sixth most points. While I don’t expect a resounding performance, I do expect a win against a bad Titans team.
Over/Under: 39.5
Of the bets, this is the one I feel most comfortable with. With Nico Collins, the Texans offense has been much improved. The run game still struggles to generate anything remarkable on the ground with Woody Marks being a non-factor and David Montgomery having his worst statistical season in years. However, in the twosomes with Nico Collins in the lineup, they’ve managed to score 31 and 30 points. That’s more than enough to confidently take the over on this low line.
The critical issue is Tennesee’s offense. They’ve scored 10, 20, 7, and 18 points. They’ve only broken 20 once. Houston’s offense won’t have to generate significant production to beat the Titans, which isn’t what fans want to see.
