The Broncos (-3) are prepared to welcome the Houston Texans to Sports Authority Field at Mile High. CBS owns the TV rights and kickoff is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET.
Betting Preview: Denver Broncos vs. Houston Texans
In this Sunday AFC game, Denver has been projected as the favorite and the team’s currently giving up 3 points. The Texans are also receiving +130 moneyline odds while the Broncos are -150. There should be some good live betting scenarios during the game, and Vegas has determined the over/under (O/U) to be 46 points.
Sharp bettors are siding with both the Broncos and the under. The opening line was originally -2 and the total was set initially at 47.
The Texans have gained 0.3 units so far in 2018 and are 3-4-1 against the spread (ATS). They’ve been a decent under bet and have recorded an O/U mark of 3-5.
The Broncos are down 2.1 units this season. The team is 3-4-1 ATS and also owns an O/U record of 3-5.
The Texans have gone 5-3 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Broncos are 3-5 SU.
The Texans are coming off a resounding 42-23 victory over Miami in Week 8. Deshaun Watson completed 16-of-20 passes for 239 yards and five touchdowns. Lamar Miller (133 rushing yards on 18 attempts, one TD) and Alfred Blue (42 yards on 15 carries) led the ground attack while DeAndre Hopkins (six receptions, 82 yards, two TDs) and Will Fuller V (five catches, 124 yards, one TD) shared the receiving duties in the win.
Denver just dropped a 30-23 game to Kansas City in Week 8. Case Keenum completed 23-of-34 passes for 262 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Phillip Lindsay (95 rushing yards on 18 attempts, one TD) and Devontae Booker (78 yards on nine carries) spearheaded the running game while Booker (four receptions, 23 yards) and Emmanuel Sanders (four catches, 57 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the loss.
Houston has run the ball on 47.9 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Denver has a rush percentage of 41.0 percent. The Texans have run for 123.0 yards per game and have four scores on the ground this year. The Broncos are putting up 133.1 rushing yards per game and have nine total rush TDs.
If the numbers so far this season are any indication, then it seems like the Broncos ought to have the more disruptive lines up front, as their offensive line has given up only 22 sacks while the D-line has logged 24 sacks. The Texans O-line has allowed 26 sacks and their defense has got to opposing QBs on just 21 occasions.
The Texans offensive scheme has tallied 272.0 yards/contest in the air overall and has 15 passing TDs so far. The Broncos have produced 267.3 pass yards per game and have 11 total pass scores.
Houston has allowed opponents to run for an average of 95.1 yards and pass for 258.5 yards per game. The Denver defense has allowed 257.9 yards per game to opposing passers and 135.8 yards per game on the ground. 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 6.12 to opposing QBs, while the Broncos are yielding an ANY/A of 6.13.
Watson has been more efficient than Keenum recently, as his adjusted net yards per pass attempt stands at 7.18for the year (and 10.89 over the last two outings). Keenum’s ANY/A is 5.50 for the year and 5.52 over his past two games.
Houston Texans at Denver Broncos NFL Prediction
SU Winner: Texans, ATS Winner: Texans, O/U: Over
Team Betting Notes
- The O/U for Houston’s last game was set at 45.5. The over cashed in the team’s 42-23 victory over Miami.
- Houston, as a team, has rushed for 4.2 yards per attempt over its last three games and 4.6 over its last two.
- Denver has averaged 4.9 yards per carry over its last three contests and 5.2 over its last two.
- The Denver offense has lost one fumble this season while Houston has lost four.
- In its last three games, Houston is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- The O/U for Denver’s last outing was set at 53.5. The under cashed in the team’s 30-23 defeat to Kansas City.
- Over its last three matches, Denver is 3-0 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- The Texans offense has produced three pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Broncos have put up seven such plays.
- Both defenses have allowed six pass plays of 40 yards or more. The Houston defense has given up 11 pass plays of 30+ yards while Denver has permitted 10 such plays.
- The Houston offense has created two rushing plays of 20+ yards, while Denver has created seven such runs.
- The Texans defense has allowed one rushing play of 20 or more yards, while the Broncos have given up 10 such runs.
- The Denver defense has registered 24 sacks on the year while Houston has 21.
