Texans Schedule – NFL Football
There is little doubt that the Houston Texans are the top team in the AFC South. The question is whether or not they are a true Super Bowl contender. On paper it looks like they are but I think this team lacks some of that grittiness you expect to see from champions.
As silly as it sounds they probably need to work at winning ugly.
2013 Houston Texans Preview/Predictions
2012 Record: 13-5
ATS Record: 10-7-1
2013 Team Futures
Super Bowl Odds: +1500
Conference Odds: +725
Division Odds: -250
The Houston Texans are good but they had a solid offseason to try and make the team better. The biggest acquisition was safety Ed Reed. I thought he would be a lifer in Baltimore but the Texans brought him down south and he has the exact kind of winning experience this team desperately needs. They also look like they might have finally found a decent complement to receiver Andre Johnson. All it took was actually investing in a high draft pick…go figure. Let’s see if it is enough
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Houston is a very good offensive team. With RBs Arian Foster and Ben Tate they have a great running game and depth. I still marvel that Foster wasn’t even drafted and has become the player he has become. The schemes are nothing all that inventive but the Texans are able to churn out yardage on the ground and control the clock when they are ahead. It ain’t sexy but it has worked very well over the last two regular seasons.
Matt Schaub is a proficient quarterback but I hesitate to call him elite. Sure he can put up some numbers but he seems to lack that fire and I can’t recall him leading his troops back the way that other signal callers do. WR Andre Johnson is a great receiver. Though not a burner he knows how to use his body and is as good as anybody in the league when all you need is a first down to keep the chains moving. WR DeAndre Hopkins was a monster at Clemson last year and is expected to step right into the NFL and produce – I agree with that opinion. TE Owen Daniels is a nice player with good hands but a notch below the elite at his position in the league. The pass offense is good but not great. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Ever since defensive coordinator Wade Phillips came to Houston the defense has gotten much better. DE J.J. Watt was defensive player of the year last year and was an absolute monster sacking the quarterback and batting down passes at the line. The rest of the D is full of quality players though none really stand out as dominant. The real key this year should be the return of linebacker Brian Cushing. Before Watt exploded last season it looked like he was going to be the star of the defense. If he is all the way back he gives them a nice playmaker.
Overall Outlook: Sitting the AFC South it is easy for the Texans to amass another great regular season record. They could easily go 6-0 in the division and put together 10 wins without beating the teams on their schedule that are legitimate Super Bowl contenders like Denver, San Francisco, Seattle, Baltimore and New England. As a bettor the key is to avoid thinking this is an elite team no matter how many victories they put up on the board. They are good for sure but the real measure of this team will be in how they play in the playoffs. Last year their ATS record was below their regular season record and I expect that to happen again this season. If they make a splash by knocking off Seattle and San Fran in weeks 4 and 5 than I am happy to stand corrected.
2013 Texans Predictions:
Place they will finish in the AFC South: 1st
Place they will finish in the AFC: 2nd
