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Texans vs. Patriots Gambling Odds & Week 14 Free NFL Pick

Houston vs New England Betting

Headline: AFC’s Best Tangle on Monday Night – Texans at Patriots in Week 14

The schedule makers really got this Week 14 Monday Nighter right! The two top teams in the AFC and the two odds-on favorites to play for the right to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl in February meet in the marquee matchup of Week 14 – and it happens to be on National TV. We will know a lot about the state of the AFC pecking order Monday night – I can’t wait.

Houston Texans (11-1) vs. New England Patriots (9-3)
Date/Time: Monday, December 10, 8:30 PM ET
Venue: Gillette Stadium
Broadcast: ESPN
Texans vs. Patriots Betting Lines from Bovada
Spread: Patriots -3 1/2 (-110)
Moneyline: Texans +160: Pats -180
Over/Under: 51 1/2 points

ATS Matchup Stats | Gambling Insight!

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The Houston Texans have been getting it done on both sides of the ball all season long – offensively and defensively this team has proven to be one of the most balanced squads around! When you score an average of 29.25 points per game (2nd in the NFL) and you give up just 18.42 points per game (4th in the league), good things are bound to happen.

Houston enters Monday night’s contest with the 10th ranked passing game averaging 247 yards per game and the 6th best running game in the NFL averaging 142 yards per game. Names like Matt Schaub, Arian Foster and Andre Johnson are marquee names that certainly have not disappointed this year.

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Foster alone has 13 touchdowns already this season and 1106 yards on the ground.

Although Foster may see a ton of action, it may be the passing game that determines the Texans fate Monday – they are set to face a New England pass defense that is 29th in the NFL and allowing 279.92 yards per game. The acquisition of Aqib Talib has helped New England’s secondary but the Pats are still very vulnerable through the air.

Houston’s defense has been incredible all season long. They are 2nd against the run allowing just 87.58 yards per game and they are a surprisingly low 19th against the pass. Defensive coordinator Wade Philips has done a masterful job with the Houston defense. Despite missing their captain Brian Cushing, others have stepped up – JJ Watt has 15 sacks this year and could be on his way to becoming the Defensive Player of the Year.

The New England Patriots just keep getting it done! Is there a better franchise from top to bottom in sports? The Pats do have some injury issues – Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman will be out this week but as we have seen in the past with Tom Brady, he will make someone else a star. We know that New England’s offense will do their job – the defense is the biggest question mark for the Pats ahead of this game. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

New England enters Monday night’s matchup as the highest scoring team in the NFL – 35.83 points per game! They have the 6th best passing game averaging 285.50 yards per game and they own the 8th best running game in the league – 140.75 yards per game. Balance? The Patriots are balanced? That’s right – Stevan Ridley has unexpectedly become one of the biggest surprises in the league making the Pats more dangerous than ever – scary!

The Patriots Achilles Heel is the defense – surprise! But they have been getting a tad better as the season has worn on. Presently they are a respectable 9th against the run thanks to Vince Wilfork and they are the 29th ranked pass defense but getting better now that Devin McCourty has moved back to safety and Aqib Talib has stepped in.

Betting Prediction

• Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
• Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
• New England is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
• The total has gone OVER in 9 of New England’s last 10 games
• New England is 21-4 SU in its last 25 games at home
• The total has gone OVER in 4 of New England’s last 5 games at home

This is the Patriots time of year! They are 10-0 in their last 10 games in December and they are 21-4 in their last 25 at home. In a battle of the best it is hard to pick against Mr. Brady at home. Take the Patriots to get it done on Sunday and to put a bit more pressure on the Texans for home field throughout the AFC playoffs – New England has a bit more on the line this week!

Pick: New England Patriots -3 1/2

By DaveB

Dave B has been a Fantasy Football writer for us for 10 years. A couch potato wannabe, Dave’s insights have been read by 10’s of people for years. He hope’s for world peace + global relaxation. Enjoy and remember only smoke things that are completely natural.