Both the Houston Texans and the New England Patriots enter Sunday’s game with identical 1-1 records, but with totally different NFL Odds for Week 3. However, both teams look like they are heading in opposite directions right now. The Patriots opened their season by taking a beating from Kansas City on the national Thursday night broadcast. They showed that their offense is back with a rout of the Saints down in New Orleans last Sunday.
Houston opened with an embarrassing home loss to Jacksonville and then replaced Tom Savage with Deshaun Watson at quarterback. The offense was not much more efficient with Watson at the helm, but he did scamper for a 49-yard touchdown run that made the difference in a Thursday night win over the Cincinnati Bengals last week. Consider the Pats (-13.5) are huge favorites on this game as you size up your wagering strategy for this weekend.
A year ago, the Patriots hosted the Texans and cruised to a 27-0 rout of Houston. This was back when the Texans still saw Brock Osweiler as the quarterback of the future, so the Houston offense has gone through some significant changes. However, the Patriots have not changed their attack, and we saw their offense roll over New Orleans with no problem a week ago.
Without any real energy on offense, the Texans will likely lack the defensive momentum to cover this spread, let alone win as the NFL Odds for Week 3 says.
Texans (1-1) vs. Patriots (1-1) Game Analysis
When: Sunday, September 24, 2017, 1:00pm ET Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA TV: CBS Radio: KILT 610 AM Houston / WBZ 98.5 FM Boston Live Stream: NFL Game Pass NFL Odds: New England -13.5, O/U 44 Why should you put your money on the Texans? Deshaun Watson has looked better than Tom Savage in his time at the helm of the Houston offense. He went 12 for 23 for 102 yards in the second half against Jacksonville in the loss, throwing a touchdown pass and a pick. Last week, he threw for 125 yards and ran for 67 more, including that long touchdown run. Watson’s mobility makes him a potential nightmare for opposing defensive coordinator, but until he conquers the learning curve for playing quarterback in the NFL, and until he can put up better numbers against a team like Cincinnati, taking down the New England Patriots will be a tall order indeed. Houston’s defense righted the ship after that Week One debacle against Jacksonville. Rookie Leonard Fournette broke the 100-yard barrier in his NFL debut against Houston in that opener, but the Texans stiffened the D this week, holding Cincinnati to three field goals. If you like Houston to cover against the Patriots, then you think that the duo of J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney can harass Tom Brady to the point where he will make enough mistakes to bring drives to a halt. Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski remains questionable for this week’s game, and if he is out for New England, and if Danny Amendola misses another game in the concussion protocol, then the Texans might be able to stay close to the Pats.Much has changed for the Patriots since last year.@jharrisfootball breaks it down like only he can.
📰: https://t.co/hVOed4Mqc1 pic.twitter.com/cyne2EjGo5 — Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) 21 de septiembre de 2017
Team Statistics
Defense: Average Score Against: 19 Total Yards: 287.5 Rush Yards: 118.5 Passing Yards: 169 Offense: Average Score For: 10 Total Yards: 234.5 Rush Yards: 130.5 Passing Yards: 104 Why should you put your money on the Patriots? According to the Patriots, both Gronkowski and linebacker Dont’a Hightower could be back in action this week. Gronkowski left the Week Two game against New Orleans with a groin injury, but it is also true that the game had gotten out of hand by the time he went down, so resting him was a no-brainer. Hightower’s knee injury from that opener was supposed to keep him out two to three weeks, so having that long layover after Week One may have given him the rest he needs to recover. Watch injury updates for the Patriots before you lock in your wager on this game.
A year ago, the Patriots hosted the Texans and cruised to a 27-0 rout of Houston. This was back when the Texans still saw Brock Osweiler as the quarterback of the future, so the Houston offense has gone through some significant changes. However, the Patriots have not changed their attack, and we saw their offense roll over New Orleans with no problem a week ago.
Without any real energy on offense, the Texans will likely lack the defensive momentum to cover this spread, let alone win as the NFL Odds for Week 3 says.
