Another week comes in the NFL as the Houston Texans clawed their way back above .500 for the first time in 2025. Week 13 marks the first time they play the Indianapolis Colts all season and this one is likely
for all the marbles. A Colts victory will likely close out the Texans’ chances of winning the division. A Texans victory will suddenly make the playoff race that much more interesting. We have been partnering with Fanduel for a couple of years now and they offer a very affordable and easy process to get some action on the game.
We usually place three bets each week on the games. We bet the line which simply predicts which team will win and by how much. We bet the money line which gives odds on each team winning the game outright. Finally, we bet the over/under which is a bet on the total number of points the teams will score in the game. All of these can be seen at Fanduel as of Monday morning. I’d remind everyone that lines are subject to change throughout the week based on breaking news and other factors.
The Line: Houston Texans +3.5
I rarely ever do this, but the Kansas City Chiefs showed me something on Sunday. They shut down Jonathan Taylor in the second half and therefore also shut down Daniel Jones. The Colts didn’t turn it over, but they stalled and let the Chiefs stay in the game. With C.J. Stroud back we can hope the Texans will move the ball a little more than had against the Bills and Titans and score enough points to hold off the Colts. I will take the Texans and gladly take the points as well. At the very worst, this should be a very close game as the Texans come in relatively rested and ready to cause damage.
The Money Line: Houston Texans +168
There are two philosophies in gambling. Some experts believe in hedging their bets. In other words, if they bet the Texans to cover the spread they might bet on the Colts to win the game. Therefore, if they get blown out they have recovered a little on the second bet. If the results flip then they are still relatively even. Others will stack their bets based on the outcome they think will happen. I happen to think the Texans are winning this game. Unlike locations like Kansas City, the Texans have had some success in Indianapolis in recent seasons. I think the Texans win this game and turn this into a three team race for the AFC South.
Over/Under: Under 44.5 points
I don’t know why Vegas keeps doing this. So far on the season, the Seattle Seahawks and Jacksonville Jaguars are the only team to score significantly over 20 points. That’s nine weeks of games under 20 points allowed and that includes the likes of the Rams, Broncos, Bucs, and Ravens. It also includes the Jaguars the first time. That’s a lot of winning football teams that couldn’t put up those points. So, to believe in the over you would have to believe in the Texans scoring 25 or more points. That just doesn’t make sense. This is a 20-17 type of football game. The only two times they surrendered more points, it involved turnovers or special teams plays. It’s hard to bet on those every week.
We at Battle Red Blog, SBNation, and its parent company Vox Media would like to remind you to consider these recommendations for entertainment purposes only. Fanduel has made it easy to gamble and they offer great promotions all the time. However, it is also very easy to get in a hole and not be able to dig yourself out. If any of us had guarantees on these outcomes we wouldn’t be working our normal nine to five jobs. Please do not gamble anything you can not afford to lose fiscally or emotionally. If you think you may have a gambling problem and want help we invite you to call 1-800-522-4700 and ask for assistance with your problem. Everyone enjoy the game.
