A pair of teams with very different seasons a year ago, the Houston Texans (+6) are set to face off against the New England Patriots (-6) at Gillette Stadium. CBS will broadcast the action and kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET.
Betting Preview: New England Patriots vs. Houston Texans
Houston is projected as the underdog and is currently getting 6 points in this early-season AFC game. The Texans are also receiving +190 moneyline odds while the Patriots are -230. Some decent live betting scenarios should exist during the game, and Vegas has set the over/under (O/U) at 51 points.
This game’s opening line was -7, while the total has yet to move after it was initially set at 51.
The Texans finished 4-12 straight-up (SU) last season while the Pats had a winning season with a 15-4 SU record in 2017. Against in-conference foes, the Texans finished 3-9 SU and the Patriots were 10-2 SU versus American Football Conference squads. The Texans finished 1-3 SU against out-of-conference teams while the Patriots were 3-1 SU against non-conference competition.
The Texans averaged 272.8 passing yards per game and 113.8 rushing yards per game against their four out-of-conference opponents last season. The team managed to score 23.0 points per game against those opponents while giving up 30.3 per contest. When taking the field against AFC competition, they scored an average of 20.5 points and gave up 26.3 points per contest. Offensively, they produced 212.8 pass yards per game and 115.6 rush yards per game.
Against out-of-conference foes, the Pats passed for 326.5 yards per game and rushed for 118.5 per game on their way to 27.0 points per matchup. When facing AFC opponents, the offensive unit tallied 29.2 points per game by averaging 276.1 passing yards and 117.9 rushing yards. The Patriots defense yielded 18.5 PPG to non-conference foes and 18.5 PPG to conference teams,
If last year’s results can translate to 2018, then it’s looking like the Pats should have the edge along both the offensive and defensive fronts, as their offensive line yielded just 35 sacks last season while their D-line registered 42 sacks. The Texans offensive line gave up 54 sacks last year and their defense sacked opposing signal-callerss just 32 times..
These two squads faced off last year with the final result being a 36-33 victory for New England.
Houston Texans vs. New England Patriots Free NFL Tip
SU Winner: Texans, ATS Winner: Texans, O/U: Under
Team Betting Notes
- The Texans offensive line allowed 54 sacks last season. Their defense created 32 sacks.
- New England quarterbacks were sacked 35 times last year. Their defense got to opposing QBs on 42 occasions,
- The Texans created eight rushing touchdowns last season.
- The Patriots put up 16 rushing touchdowns last season.
- The Texans put up 4.1 yards per carry last season while allowing a YPC of 4.0 to opponents.
- The Patriots tallied 4.2 yards per carry last season and allowed a YPC of 4.7 to opponents.
- The Texans produced 28 passing touchdowns last season.
- The Patriots recorded 32 passing touchdowns last season.
