Tennessee Titans (1-2 SU, 2-1 ATS) vs. Houston Texans (1-2 SU, 2-1 ATS)
NFL Week 4
Date/Time: Sunday, October 1st, 2017 1:00 PM ET
Where: NRG Stadium Houston, TX
TV:CBS
by Keith, Expert Football Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread: HOU +1.5 (-115)
Over/Under Total: 44
The Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans will meet once again in what will be a pivotal AFC South clash for both sides. Houston had its way in this divisional series as they had won five in a row before the Titans would finally end their streak on New Years Day with a 24-17 win in Music City. The time of kick off is set for 1:00 PM ET live from NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. The contest will be aired for regional audiences on CBS.
The Texans come in off a hard-to-stomach loss at New England. Houston came into the affair as a two-touchdown underdog but gave the Patriots fight in Foxboro, a place they are known to be virtually unbeatable. The Texans would hold a lead late into the game before New England would escape by a score of 36-33. What was once a maligned offensive unit has now find its stride against the defending Super Bowl Champions and the NFLs toughest team. Houston is typically known as a defensive-oriented team but on two occasions already this season, they have given up an excess of 28 points or more. In their season opener, the Texans surrendered 29 points to the Jacksonville Jaguars in a blowout loss. Houston would follow this up with a Week Two win over Cincinnati in what was a disgusting 13-9 win. Cincinnatis anemic offense was the culprit of such an event far more than the Texans proficiencies. The team Houston is hosting this week is a far different animal in comparison.
The Titans undoubtedly have some firepower in their ranks. First, premier quarterback Marcus Mariota who has established a reputation as a gamer and playmaker since his hey-days at Oregon. Mariota has been getting better with each season in the NFL. He is complemented by exceptional skill players in running back DeMarco Murray and tight end Delanie Walker. In addition, the Titans have another weapon emerging at wide receiver in former Nevada wide-out Rishard Matthews. Tennessees defense was the talk of the town in 2016 as they look to replicate so impressive numbers in the sack and rushing defense departments. Tennessee comes in off a statement win against the Seattle Seahawks when they beat the Legion of Boom in Nashville, last Sunday in a 33-27 victory. Furthermore, the Titans also own a win over Jacksonville when they hung 37 on the Jags and gave up just 16 points. Since losing its season opener against the Oakland Raiders, the Titans have won two games in a row and seem to be getting better each week.
So far, much of the public seems to fancy the Texans. 67% of the cash have come in on the Texans, further complemented by 65% of the ticket action. 62% of the consensus also like Houston in this contest against the spread. It is also worth noting that a bit more juice is required to take Houston at its current price, be that the figure is -115 as compared to a traditional vig. Overall many markets have not wanted to come off this number. Signaling that this fixture is supposed to be a close one. However, markets of this format usually result in the opposite as many teams are blown-out in virtual toss-up games. This may be the case here with Tennessee being the purveyors of such an outcome. The Over/Under in this contest has remained idle as 94% of the cash have come in on the Under while 71% of the tickets are with the Over. Therefore, the Over/Under market as a whole is a good no-go zone for this venue as a whole. The AFC South as a whole is a spiders lair but Tennessee has proven that they can dominate within this division and contend with some of the NFLs elite teams. Home field advantage is not a point of discussion here, Houstons performance last week sells the stock for the Texans and most likely sets up takers for a let-down. In this instance we will go ahead and swallow the points on a value play on a potent favorite.
KEITHs Pick to Cover the Point Spread: TENNESSEE -1.5. Bet this game for FREE by taking advantage of a 100% bonus (Deposit $100, get $100 FREE!)at the web’s oldest sportsbook: Intertops!
