Houston Texans (2-0, 2-0 ATS) @ New York Giants (0-2, 0-2 ATS)
*ATS= against the spread
BETDAQ Line: Pick ’em (41.5)
Significant Injuries
Houston: S Shiloh Keo (questionable– calf), DT Louis Nix (questionable– knee), LB Jadeveon Clowney (out– knee)
New York: WR Odell Beckham (questionable– hamstring), DT Markus Kuhn (questionable– ankle), OT James Brewer (questionable– back), LB Devon Kennard (questionable– hamstring), LB Jon Beason (doubtful– foot), CB Walter Thurmond (out– pectoral)
Recent Trends
Houston is 8-1-1 ATS in their last 10 games following a win of more than 14 points
Houston is 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games following a win
New York is 9-3-2 ATS in their last 14 games following a double-digit home loss
New York is 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games vs. a team with a winning record
New York is 0-6-1 ATS in their last 7 September games
The UNDER is 4-1 in Houston’s last 5 games overall
The UNDER is 4-1 in New York’s last 5 home games
The UNDER is 5-0 in New York’s last 5 games following a loss
Three reasons to back Houston
1. The Texans have been playing great football over the first two weeks of the season, beating Washington and Oakland by 27 combined points. The Giants, on the other hand, are 0-2 and have been beaten by 32 combined points in those games. This is a mismatch.
2. The Texans are stout defensively– they currently lead the NFL in points allowed– and the Giants have been a mess on offense, producing just 269 total yards and 14 points per game so far this season. Eli Manning continues to have turnover issues and the rushing attack continues to stagnate. The Houston defense will be able to control the game.
3. The New York defense is among’s the league’s worst, surrendering 60 combined points in two games this season. The Texans, meanwhile, made real progress on offense in last week’s win over Oakland.
Three reasons to back New York
1. Houston won just 2 games last season and they head into this game extremely overvalued after feasting on below-average teams over the past two weeks. They don’t have any business being a road favorite over anybody, especially a team whose coach and quarterback have a Super Bowl pedigree.
2. The Texans are very limited on offense and that starts with the quarterback, veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, who may be better suited for a backup role at this point in his career. The offense hasn’t really been tested this year– Fitzpatrick’s been in full “game manager” mode– but that will change this week against a motivated New York defense that was a top-10 unit last season.
3. The Giants have traditionally responded well to adversity under coach Tom Coughlin, frequently finding a way to follow up some of their worst performances with some of their best ones. They’re 9-3-2 ATS in their last 14 games following a double-digit home loss and they’ve won a Super Bowl after an 0-2 start, so it’s a bit premature to bail on this team.
Prediction
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