The Houston Texans will host the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon in a matchup of two teams who have struggled to get off to good starts and have recently returned from bye weeks. Check out our NFL oddsseries now to see our prediction and choice for the Texans vs. Raiders game.
The Texans, who now have a record of 1-3-1, entered the bye week in high spirits after becoming the final team in the league to record a victory. The Texans will try to maintain their newfound momentum on the road where they have a 1-2 record thus far as visitors after losing to their AFC South rivals, the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Raiders’ bye week was probably filled with lots of reflection in the mirror for them. Can head coach Josh McDaniels inspire his team to start the path of an incredible comeback in order to forfeit their 2022 season when they are now 1-4 and in a must-win situation?
These NFL odds between the Texans and Raiders are provided by FanDuel.
NFL Odds: Texans-Raiders Odds
Texans of Houston: +7 (-114)
Raiders of Las Vegas: -7 (-106)
Over: 45.5 (-112) (-112)
Under: 45.5 (-108)
Why The Texans Could Cover The Spread
Even if it hasn’t been the ideal start that head coach Lovie Smith and the club had hoped for, getting their first victory against a Jaguars team that had shown signs of improvement a few weeks ago must have been satisfying. Houston has demonstrated that they have a plethora of young and promising assets to work upon in the years to ahead, despite the fact that the Texans may be facing straight into a rebuilding mode of sorts.
Houston’s first aim for the upcoming weekend should be to feed halfback Dameon Pierce as much as possible, which would be a tremendous win for this team. The Texans’ workhorse running back, a rookie selected in the fourth round out of Florida, appears to be a true find for the team. Pierce has brought life to an offence that has at times struggled to get anything going with a gritty type of rushing style that makes defenders shiver when trying to bring down the 218-pound back. Evidently, Houston should have a greater chance of covering the spread the more touches it gives Pierce and the more it bases its offensive strategy around him.
Whether or if Texans quarterback Davis Mills can avoid turnovers and instead make wise judgments throughout his passing progressions will make the biggest difference in this game for the Texans. Mills has occasionally displayed his talent and the potential to be a competent starter in this league, but if he wants to be successful professionally, he still needs to have a more disciplined playing style.
Why The Raiders Could Cover The Spread
Win, baby, win! For this Raiders team, the iconic and illustrious words of lengthy former owner Al Davis still ring true.
Las Vegas needs to make up for their mistakes and play a full 60 minutes of excellent football, something that has eluded them up to this point, in order to win by covering the spread and sending the home fans at Allegiant Stadium home in a happy mood. On paper, this Raiders team seems much too good to be sitting at 1-4, but a string of careless errors, some dubious play calling, and a penchant for falling short when it counts have plagued this Las Vegas side.
Since each of the Raiders’ four losses have been by a discouraging 3.5 points, be on the lookout for them to eventually have a breakout performance. Additionally, Vegas needs to improve their finishing skills because they far too frequently take commanding early leads just to blow them in the closing stages. It will be crucial for the Raiders to maintain their momentum if they hope to prevent another appalling and disappointing performance.
Expect the Raiders’ standout halfback Josh Jacobs to perform similarly to the Dameon Pierce-led running back group of the Texans. Jacobs has had two of his best performances of his career over the course of his last two games. He has racked up a staggering 298 yards on the ground and will undoubtedly be a key component of the Raiders’ offensive strategy.
Final Texans-Raiders Prediction & Pick
There is little question that the outcome of this game between two AFC bottom-dwelling teams will have a significant impact on both teams’ efforts to turn around their seasons. However, if this game goes into a shootout, there are concerns that Houston won’t be able to score enough points. Consider the Raiders and their ability to finally end a game, as they ought to triumph handily.
Last Texans-Raiders game Pick and Prediction: Raiders -7 (-106)
The first version of this article published on ClutchPoints: NFL Odds: Texans vs. Raiders forecast, odds and selection – 10/23/2022.
