Week 3 Free Pick – Houston Texans at Los Angeles Chargers

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The Chargers (-3) are ready to welcome the Houston Texans to StubHub Center. CBS has the TV rights and kickoff is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET.

Betting Preview: Los Angeles Chargers vs. Houston Texans

Houston is a live dog and is currently getting 3 points in this Sunday AFC game. The Texans are also receiving +130 moneyline odds while the Chargers are -150. Oddsmakers have set the over/under (O/U) at 48.5 points. Multiple good in-game betting opportunities might exist during this showdown.

The betting odds have swayed slightly from when they were originally posted. The line opened at -4 and the game’s O/U was placed initially at 49.

The Texans are 1-1 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 0.0 units so far. The team has posted an O/U record of 1-1.

The Chargers are down 0.1 units this season. The team is 1-1 ATS and also has an O/U record of 1-1.

The Texans are 1-1 straight up (SU) in 2019 while the Chargers are also 1-1 SU.

The Texans are coming off a 13-12 victory over Jacksonville in Week 2Their defense allowed the Jaguars to run for 103 yards on 21 rush attempts. Leonard Fournette had a good day for the Jaguars in that one with 47 rushing yards on 15 attempts, along with 40 yards on four catches. On the offensive side of the ball, Deshaun Watson completed just 16-of-29 passes for 159 yards. Carlos Hyde (90 rushing yards on 20 attempts) provided the ground attack in the win while DeAndre Hopkins (five receptions, 40 yards) and Will Fuller V (four catches, 40 yards) manned the receiving duties.

Los Angeles narrowly lost a 13-10 game to Detroit last week. The let the Lions put up 245 passing yards and 94 rushing yards. Kenny Golladay had a productive outing in the win for Detroit, posting 117 yards on eight catches. For Los Angeles, Philip Rivers completed 21-of-36 passes for 293 yards and one interception. Austin Ekeler (66 rushing yards on 17 attempts, one TD) and Justin Jackson (59 yards on seven carries) spearheaded the ground game in the defeat as Keenan Allen (eight receptions, 98 yards) and Ekeler (six catches, 67 yards) led the receiving attack.

Houston has run the ball on 47.3 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Los Angeles has a rush percentage of 39.7 percent. The Texans have produced 153 rush yards per game and have two touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Bolts are logging 131 rush yards per game and have two total rushing TDs.

The Texans offense has averaged 213.5 yards through the air overall and has three passing TDs so far. The Bolts have recorded 313 pass yards per contest and also have three total pass scores.

Defensively, Houston has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 125.5 yards and pass for 291.5 yards per game. The Los Angeles defense has allowed 217.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 148.5 yards per game to opposing runners. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to the opposition, as the Texans have given up an ANY/A of 6.85 to opposing QBs, while the Bolts are yielding an ANY/A of 6.92.

Rivers probably has the edge over Watson in this matchup. His adjusted net yards per pass attempt stands at 6.54 for the season and 7.56 over his past two games while Watson’s ANY/A is 4.15 (and 5.59 over the past two outings).

Houston Texans vs. Los Angeles Chargers NFL Prediction

SU Winner: Texans, ATS Winner: Texans, O/U: Over

Team Betting Notes

  • The Houston defense has five sacks on the year while Los Angeles has two.
  • Los Angeles has lost two fumbles in 2019 while Houston has yet to lose any.
  • The Texans offense has tallied one pass play of 40 or more yards, while the Chargers have accounted for two such plays.
  • The Houston defense has allowed two pass plays of 40 yards or more, while Los Angeles has given up zero such plays.
  • The Houston offense has created three rushing plays of 20+ yards, while Los Angeles has created two such runs.
  • Both defenses have allowed two rushing plays of 20 or more yards. The Texans have given up six running plays of 10+ yards while the Chargers have given up four such plays.