Texans vs. Titans NFL Week 16 Best Bets: Tennessee Braced for Houston on Saturday (Archive)
NFL Pick: Titans -5 (-110) at Bookmaker (visit our Bookmaker Review)
The Texans have proven to be a gritty team with a lousy record but they will be exposed on Saturday when they roll into the Music City to take on the Titans.
Let’s review the NFL odds on this AFC South showdown and keep cashing our NFL picks!
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Houston Texans vs. Tennessee Titans
Saturday, December 24, 2022 – 01:00 PM EST at Nissan Stadium
Texans Drop 9th Straight
The Houston Texans gave the powerhouse Kansas City Chiefs more than they bargained for but when the dust settled, the Chiefs prevailed, 30-24, in overtime. Davis Mills was just 12-of-24 for 121 yards but did connect on a pair of passing touchdowns to Teagan Quitoriano and Jordan Akins while taking a 17-yard sprint to the house for his third combined touchdown of the afternoon.
However, it only took one overtime play to end it all when Kansas City’s Jerick McKinnon took a handoff and ran 26 yards to clinch the win and seal the deal for the Chiefs, handing the Texans their ninth consecutive loss. Nevertheless, those who took the generous number of points cashed for the second straight week with Houston, easily covering as 14 ½ point home dogs at Texas betting sites.
Houston coach, Lovie Smith, said, “That team out there has won one game but they’re not playing like that. They’re showing up every day, taking coaching, getting better, and coming into the game and giving ourselves a chance to win."
Titans Woes Mount
Tennessee has now dropped four straight games, with the latest being a 17-14 loss to the Chargers last week. The score was knotted at 14 apiece until the Bolts drove to within striking distance with just four seconds remaining and Cameron Dicker split the uprights for a 43-yard game-winning field goal.
Ryan Tannehill was limited by the LA defense, connecting on 15-of-22 for just 165 yards and an interception but he did reach paydirt by engineering a 74-yard drive culminating in a one-yard plunge into the end zone to tie the game with only 48 seconds remaining. Yet, that was still enough time for Justin Herbert to move the sticks to give his team the opportunity for the game-winning field goal.
Derrick Henry had 104 yards and a touchdown run while catching four passes for 59 yards. But it wasn’t enough as the Titans’ defense held strong with two interceptions and held the Chargers’ rushing attack to just 74 yards.
Tennessee stands at .500 on the season but is still a game ahead of the Jaguars and desperately needs this game to solidify its position as the top team in the AFC South.
“The division is still there, but personally, I could care less about that,” said safety Kevin Byard, who had an interception in the third quarter. “It don’t look like we’re a team right now that’s going to beat anybody, so we’ve got to find a way to get back to work and beat Houston. That’s all we can really do at this point.”
Total Trends
- Under is 6-2 in the Texans’ last 8 vs. AFC South.
- Under is 5-2 in the Texans’ last 7 games after allowing more than 250 yards passing in their previous game.
- Under is 10-4 in the Texans’ last 14 road games.
- Under is 7-1 in the Titans’ last 8 vs. AFC.
- Under is 9-2 in the Titans’ last 11 games after allowing less than 90 yards rushing in their previous game.
- Under is 9-2 in the Titans’ last 11 home games.
- Under is 8-3 in the Titans’ last 11 games overall.
Texans vs. Titans: Game Prediction
The public is infatuated with the Texans after they covered against two of the best teams in the league, Dallas and Kansas City. However, this is not an offense that does much scoring and on Saturday they will be pitted against a defense that will give them fits.
Although the Titans are susceptible to the pass, who exactly will be passing for the Texans on Saturday? Davis Mills will hurt a team more with his legs than he will with his arm and he will be going nowhere against Tennessee’s No. 2-ranked run-stop unit.
Conversely, Derrick Henry will have a day for himself as he will batter the Texans' defensive front relentlessly as Houston is ranked dead last in stopping the run.
I can’t see the Texans doing much scoring in this one while the Titans will be content to wear down Houston with Henry while giving Tannehill plenty of time in the pocket to pass when he decides to mix things up.
The Picks
I like the fact that we have seen this line drop from Titans -7 to where it now stands as low -5 in some shops like BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review). The caveat to all of this is the status of Tannehill and one of his top targets, Treylon Burks, who is in the league's concussion protocol.
But this Tennessee defense can win this game on their own and that’s why I love the number we’re getting with the much better team in their own sandbox.
Score Prediction: Titans 23 – Texans 10
NFL Pick: Under 37 ½ (-110) at Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.