Houston vs. Baltimore NFL Football Spread/Handicapping
My how things can change quickly in the NFL. Last year the Texans whacked the Ravens winning by 30 at home yet it was Baltimore who went on to win the Super Bowl. Now less than a year later the champs aren’t even favoured at home against Houston.
Houston Texans (2-0) vs. Baltimore Ravens (1-1)
Sunday September 22
M&T Bank Field – Baltimore, MD
1:00PM
Moneyline: Houston
Spread: Houston -1
O/U: 45
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It makes sense too as the Ravens have not looked good over the course of a 1-1 start. Houston has two close wins (ATS losses) under their belt and even though they are not making any money for anybody they might be turning the corner by winning some of those ugly ones that champions do.
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This is a game between AFC contenders that has much more meaning for the Ravens and should be interesting with safety Ed Reed coming into town as the opposition.
Plus they are adding Ray Lewis to their ring of honour just to make it an even bigger circus.
Houston
The Texans are off to a good start but when you look at the numbers behind this team there are some interesting things going on. First RB Ben Tate is leading the team in rushing. He has less than half the carries of Arian Foster but when you are ripping off better than 8 yards per carry it adds up quickly.
This points out some great depth that the Texans have that other teams don’t. Similarly at receiver rookie Andre Hopkins has quickly proven to be ready for the big leagues by making some really big catches over the first couple of games to help the team come from behind and win. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
This Houston team looks better than the one that won the AFC South last year and might truly be a contender for the Super Bowl this year with a great mix of offense and defense.
Baltimore
Baltimore remade its team in the offseason but it is tough to tell if they are going to be OK because they have had so many injuries to start the season. Receiver was already going to be a position to watch and now without Jacoby Jones in the lineup they are making it tough for Joe Flacco to get much done in the passing game. Making matters worse is that RB Ray Rice is already dinged up and questionable for the game on Sunday.
Bernard Pierce is one of the better backup tailbacks in the league but I am not sure he holds up as an every down feature back. On defense the Ravens were smoked by the Broncos but much more steady against the Browns.
The problem is that those teams kind of represent the extremes of offensive efficiency so I am not sure we can really make an accurate assessment based on what we have seen so far.
Spread Pick: Houston -1
O/U Pick: Over
Score Prediction: Houston 31 – Baltimore 24
