The Houston Texans went back home to lick their wounds and host the Tennessee Titans at NRG Stadium on Sunday, October 2nd. Here are the online NFL betting odds for the week 4 match-up:
Titans +5 (-110) 41 (-105)
Texans -5 (-110) 41 (-115)
After a 2-0 start, the Texans stumbled against the New England Patriots in their first road game. Actually, ‘stumbled’ is putting it mildly; it would be more accurate to say that their defense – one of the top-ranked in the league – was humiliated by a rookie third-string QB. And the offense wasn’t anything to write home about either, considering they scored zero points. Texans starting QB Brock Osweiler threw for under 200 yards and did not produce a TD for the first time in the 2016 regular season. It was an uncharacteristic outing for a Houston team that had a very promising start to the season, and football betting site users expect them to bounce back this Sunday against the Titans.
Speaking of whom, the Titans went 1-2 following a 17-10 loss to the Oakland Raiders. Tennessee had come back from a 15-3 deficit to beat the Detroit Lions 16-15 the week before, and was on the brink of another winning rally against the Raiders. The league’s 2014 offensive player of the year running back DeMarco Murray put the Titans back into the game with a 36-yard run with the Titans backed up near their own end zone, and he finished a 93-yard drive by outrunning a couple of Oakland defenders around the right side to the end zone for a 5-yard score with 5:51 remaining in the third quarter. Later on, the Titans were under the impression they had forced overtime when QB Marcus Mariota hit Andre Johnson for a TD. However, officials flagged Johnson for interference on Raiders cornerback TJ Carrie. Additionally, Mariota had three TOs, but the Titans’ worst offender was left tackle Taylor Lewan, who was penalized for unnecessary roughness on Tajae Sharpe – which sent Tennessee from the Oakland 3 to the 18 with 50 seconds on the clock. It was so bad Lewan actually apologized to his teammates. Yeah, but did he apologize to Tajae?
The Titans’ mistakes have been a constant this season that has cost them games – and cost online NFL betting fans money, especially on offense. One wouldn’t say that the Texans’ offense is better, but at any rate it is less bad. Both teams are averaging a league-worst 14 points per game, but Houston doesn’t turn the ball over as much as Tennessee. This Sunday’s game will most likely be won or lost on defense, where the Titans allow 19 points and 348 total yards to the Texans’ 17.7 points and 277 total yards per game.
The Texans are 5-0 against the spread versus AFC South teams, 5-1 against the spread versus a team with a losing record (such as the Titans), and 6-2 against the spread in their last 8 games at NRG Stadium. The Titans are 1-4 against the spread in their last 5 away games, 15-36-1 against the spread versus a team with a winning record (like the Texans), and 3-21-3 against the spread versus AFC South teams. The visiting team has covered the spread in five of the last seven encounters between these two teams.
