The Houston Texans (+0) are making a trip east to battle the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. This vital early afternoon game will get underway at 1:00 p.m. ET and NFL Network is scheduled to have the TV rights.
Betting Preview: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Houston Texans
This matchup is a toss-up. If one side gets out in front early it would generate a worthy in-game betting opportunity. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 53 points.
The line has recently moved down from 1 to where it is now (0). The game’s over/under hasn’t changed after being set initially at 53.
The Texans are 6-7 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 0.5 units so far. The team has posted an O/U record of 6-7.
The Buccaneers are up 1.4 units this season. The team is 4-8-1 ATS and owns an O/U record of 10-3.
The Texans have gone 9-5 straight up (SU) in 2019 while the Buccaneers are 7-7 SU.
The Texans are coming off a 24-21 victory over Tennessee last week. Deshaun Watson completed 19-of-27 passes for 243 yards, two scores and two interceptions. Carlos Hyde (104 rushing yards on 26 attempts, one TD) mounted the running attack. DeAndre Hopkins (six receptions, 119 yards) and Will Fuller V (five catches, 61 yards) handled the receiving duties in the win.
Tampa Bay is coming off of a 38-17 win over Detroit a week ago. The team’s defensive secondary allowed the Lions to air it out for 260 yards. Danny Amendola was a bright spot in the loss, recording 102 yards on eight catches for Detroit. For Tampa Bay, Jameis Winston completed 28-of-42 passes for 458 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Ronald Jones II (23 rushing yards on 11 attempts) and Peyton Barber (17 yards on 10 carries) handled the running game as Chris Godwin (five receptions, 121 yards) and Breshad Perriman (five catches, 113 yards, three TDs) led the receiving corps in the win.
Houston’s run the ball on 45.1 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Tampa Bay has an overall rush percentage of 39.7 percent. The Texans have produced 130.9 rush yards per game and have 14 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Bucs are putting up 91.4 rushing yards per game and have 14 total rush TDs.
The Texans offensive scheme has averaged 262.4 yards in the air overall and has 27 passing scores so far. The Bucs have produced 327.9 pass yards per contest and have 30 total pass TDs.
Houston has let opponents rush for an average of 113.3 yards and throw for 281 yards per game. The Tampa Bay D has allowed 296.4 yards per game to opposing passers and 73.3 yards per game to opposing runners. The Bucs are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 6.42 to opposing QBs, while the Texans have allowed a 7.28 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, Watson has put up 3,376 yards this season. He’s completed 69 percent of his 413 attempts with 25 scores through the air and nine interceptions. He’s got a 7.24 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 4.86 over the last two games.
Jameis Winston has completed 309-of-509 passes for 4,117 yards, 26 TDs and 21 INTs for Tampa Bay. His ANY/A stands at 6.23 for the season and 9.72 across his past two games.
Houston Texans vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL Prediction
SU Winner: Texans, ATS Winner: Texans, O/U: Over
Betting Notes
- The Tampa Bay offense has lost nine fumbles this season while Houston has lost seven.
- The Tampa Bay D has sacked opposing QBs 36 times this season. Houston has recorded just 28 sacks.
- Houston, as a team, has averaged 4.1 yards per carry over its past three outings and 4.8 over its last two.
- Tampa Bay has averaged 2.3 yards per carry over its last three games and 2.2 over its last two.
- Houston has won four of its last five games SU, with a 14-point defeat to Denver on December 8th accounting for the only loss over that span.
