Blossoming Flacco, Streaking Ravens Visit Inconsistent Texans
The Baltimore Ravens (5-3 SU, 6-2 ATS, 5-3 O/U) are on a roll, having won three straight games in the BetUS Sportsbook. The Houston Texans (3-5 SU, 2-6 ATS, 7-1 O/U) are trying to keep their nearly, dead playoff hopes alive after losing their last game.
Both teams will be gunning for a victory for online NFL sports betting fanatics on Sunday when they meet at Reliant Stadium.
The Ravens are coming off a convincing 37-27 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday as blossoming rookie quarterback Joe Flacco completed 17 of 29 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns while running back Ray Rice added 154 rushing yards on 21 carries. Wide receiver Derrick Mason caught nine passes for 136 yards with a touchdown in the win.
“Your confidence is always growing,” Flacco told the Ravens’ official Web site. “You get more and more experience each week. We are in the hunt, but we need to just stack up wins. That is our main focus right now.”
The Texans had their three-game winning streak snapped by the Minnesota Vikings, losing 28-21 on Sunday while failing to cover the spread as 6.5-point underdogs in Week 9.
Backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels replaced an injured Matt Schaub for Houston and passed for 224 yards with two touchdowns and an interception as the Texans allowed Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson to run wild, gaining 139 yards on 25 carries with one touchdown.
The Vikings forced three Houston turnovers that proved costly for the Texans.
“If we can just eliminate those mistakes, we’re as good as any offense, any team in this league,” said Rosenfels. “We thought we were pretty equal to this team. We thought this was a team we could play four quarters with. We did that, but they made the plays and we made the mistakes.”
Here is a look at the key trends for each team, followed by my in-depth analysis and NFL Free Picks:
Baltimore is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Baltimore’s last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Baltimore’s last 15 games
Baltimore is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Houston’s last 10 games
Houston is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston’s last 5 games at home
Houston is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games at home
NFL Odds
Baltimore Ravens -1 -110
Houston Texans +1 -110
Over 42 -110
Under 42 -110
Analysis: I don’t think the outcome of this contest is in question at all! The Ravens are coming on strong and will use their always powerful defense to shut down the Texans while winning this game on the road with their strong-armed rookie quarterback leading their improving offense.
Take the Ravens to win outright and cover the spread in the process.
