We return to football this week after the Houston Texans enjoyed an early bye week. The Seattle Seahawks are coming off of a brilliant win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Needless to say, both teams are coming in hot,
so that will impact a game that is likely to end after everyone’s bed time. As per usual, we are looking at three key bets in the early odds feature. We look at the spread, over/under, and money line. Since this is the first one of these I have done this year and since this might be the first one of these you are reading, we should start with a quick tutorial on what all three mean.
The spread is the one most people are familiar with. The underdog is given a number of points to make the contest level. We get all of our bets from Fanduel I am looking at these as of Monday evening before this runs on Tuesday morning. Odds always change throughout the week because Vegas makes money off the juice. Their goal is to get an equal amount of money wagered on each side. Like with the spread, the over/under is a 50/50 proposition that simply tallies the total number of points scored by both teams.
The money line weights the payout based on who is the favorite to win. That team will pay out less money than the underdog. That is based purely on who will win the game. Win by one or by 50 and it is treated the same. The totals tell you how much you will win if you were to wager 100 dollars. By sheer definition, it will only be a 50/50 proposition if it is a pick em’ game.
The Spread: Seattle Seahawks -3.5
This is a team coming off of a victory over a 4-1 team and they are playing at home. Furthermore, this is a team coming off of a performance where they sacked Trevor Lawrence seven times. That doesn’t bode well for a Houston Texans team that has had trouble with pressure against good defenses. The Seahawks have 20 sacks on the season, so that performance wasn’t a one off. The Texans have not shown an ability to run the ball consistently for more than three seasons now, so they will have to rely on C.J. Stroud and his arm to carry them. That is concerning when you consider the struggles of the offensive line overall.
Over/Under: Under 40.5
The Texans have played only one game where the over was achieved. That alone is worth this bet. They have not given up more than 20 points on the season. If those two things (the spread and defense) continue then you are looking at a 20-17 type of game. Turnovers and defensive scores always create the possibility of an easy over situation, but the under feels like the better bet in this one. Past performance is never a guarantee of future results, but it seems like a reasonable bet to make.
The Money Line: Seahawks -176
This means that it would take 176 bucks in order to win 100. Still, if you pick the Seahawks to cover the spread then it only makes sense to pick them to win the game. There is always the possibility of splitting your bets to guarantee that you can break even on the exchange, but that isn’t real gambling. The Texans have played three good opponents and they are either 4-2 or 5-1 so far on the season. The Seahawks are also 4-2 and playing at home. The Texans need to prove they can beat a good team before we pick them here.
Again, we fully recommend Fanduel for your betting pleasure. Naturally, all picks should be considered for entertainment purposes only and please do not gamble anything more than you can afford to lose. Millions of Americans enjoy having a little action on the game and you can be one of them. Feel free to go to Fanduel and get that started.
