Titans vs Texans NFL Handicapping
A pair of 1-0 teams will meet in Houston on Sunday, but these teams are in very different form. The Houston Texans had some trouble with San Diego on Monday night, but they ended that game on a 24-0 run, and that momentum could carry over to Sunday and pose a real problem for the Tennessee Titans.
Tennessee Titans (1-0) at Houston Texans (1-0)
Date: Sunday, September 15, 2013
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Venue: Reliant Stadium
City: Houston, Texas
O/U Odds: 43
Spread: Houston -9.5
Money Line: Houston -400, Tennessee +330
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The Texans have made a point of beating up on AFC South opponents and helping to supplement a strong record by winning those division games. Now they get a Titans team that isn’t in good form, and the Texans could roll them over on Sunday.
Houston’s opener started about as bad as it could have. Quarterback Matt Schaub threw an interception on the first play from scrimmage, and on the very next play, San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers connected with Ryan Mathews up the right sideline for a score. The rest of the night went well for Schaub, as he completed 34 of 45 passes for 346 yards and three scores when all was said and done. Wide receiver Andre Johnson was his favorite target, hauling in 12 balls for 146 yards, while tight end Owen Daniels caught five passes for 67 yards and two scores.
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There could be some trouble in paradise though, as Arian Foster was visibly frustrated with the distribution of carries in Week 1, and head coach Gary Kubiak says he expects to see a 50-50 distribution of carries going forward. In Week 1, Foster rushed for 57 yards on 18 carries, while Ben Tate ran for 55 yards on just nine carries.
The Texans defense held strong despite giving up 28 points. The unit held Philip Rivers under 200 yards passing, and limited Chargers starting running back Ryan Mathews to just 2.5 yards per carry. They’ll do a better job of defending the deep ball once Ed Reed returns to the lineup. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
As for the Titans, they left Pittsburgh with a 1-0 record, but it could not have come in an uglier way, starting with a safety on the game’s opening kickoff.
Most of the team’s offense in the game came from their kicker, Rob Bironas, who booted three field goals, while Jackie Battle added a three-yard plunge. The rest of the offense didn’t have games worth writing home about. Jake Locker completed only 11 of 20 passes for 125 yards, and running back Chris Johnson rushed for just 70 yards on 25 carries for an average of just 2.8 yards per rush.
The Titan defense limited the Steelers to just a single scoring play, but that probably had more to do with Pittsburgh’s struggles than the Tennessee defense. Nevertheless, going into Pittsburgh and playing well is something to be happy with. The defense held Ben Roethlisberger under 200 yards and limited the Steelers to just 2.1 yards per carry.
The Texans are the far better team right now, but the spread comes down as a result of the Titans’ opening win which looks far better on paper than it really was.
The Texans are 3-0-1 in the last four meetings between these teams.
The play: Houston -9.5
