Houston Texans Opening Odds Week 5

Spread, money line, and over/under for Texans vs Bills brought to you by Fanduel

The Texans bounced back from a demoralizing loss to the Vikings with a comeback victory over the winless Jacksonville Jaguars this past Sunday. The Texans’ offense and defense are the definition of a ‘work in progress’, but there’s enough talent on the field to pull out victories. The first four games are the cumulative easiest of the season for Houston. Now, the Texans start a four game stretch against the Bills, Patriots, Packers, and Colts which will truly confirm where the Texans are as a team heading into the backend of the season.

For this week, they face off against the relentless Buffalo Bills. QB Josh Allen is putting together another miraculous season. To beat the Bills, teams have to be perfect. Allen in his offense doesn’t need any favors; and right now the Texans penalty woes are affording teams more favors than Jim Carrey in Yes Man.

As for odds, this game is hotly contested. Our partners at Fanduel have thousands of odds and prop bets for users to bet on the upcoming slate of NFL games. Battle Red Blog has partnered with FanDuel this season to analyze and present the best bets and where to place your money all season long. Remember to bet responsibly and never bet more than you can manage.

The Line: Texans +1.5

Bettors are predicting the Buffalo Bills to beat the Houston Texans in this Week Five matchup, but it’s by a slim margin. Both teams sit at 3-1 a top of their respective AFC divisions, but Buffalo has looked the better product through four weeks. Despite losing their top pass catchers from last season, the Bills offense hasn’t skipped a beat. QB Josh Allen has thrown seven touchdowns to six different players, but what’s more impressive is his zero interceptions through four games. It’s also not enough to stop the Bills on three downs. They’re 6-6 on fourth down this season.

Houston’s offense and defense have looked both compelling and shaky throughout the young season. The new faces on defense have had moments of mental lapses while the Texans offensive line has been deplorable. 12 false starts and seven offensive holding penalties both lead the league. If Houston can limit the penalties on both sides of the ball and open up the run game, they’ll have a significantly better chance at completing the upset.

Money Line: -104

A wager of $10 will win bettors $9.62 in this fairly even line. It’s one where the Texans hosting the Bills most likely impacts the overall spread more than the money line itself. Houston has been good at home, plus there’s less to negatively affect the offensive line from false starting; though they don’t need much help in that category.

Considering the Texans and Bills are both 3-1, leading their division, and the Stefon Diggs saga, I believe this will be a hotly contested game. I anticipate multiple lead changes and a true power struggle to maintain possession.

Over/Under: 47.5 points

There’s a real case for a slow methodical game to limit the opposing team’s offense, but equally a call for a high flying game with so much on the line.

The Bills alone have scored over 30 points in three of the four games, but were stymied by the vaunted Ravens defense last week.

As for the Texans, they’ve been less prolific, but fairly consistent in their output. In the games they’ve won they’ve scored 29, 19, and 24 points.

I predict both offenses make this a shootout. It’s also WR Stefon Diggs revenge game so you know he’ll be frothing at the mouth to show the Bills what they gave away. Plus, the Bills themselves will want to illustrate that they do not need Diggs to win and beat him. Both teams are certainly emotionally incentivized to up the ante against one another. Expect points, big plays, and two determined offenses.