Texans Eagles Betting – Eagles Bounce Back To Swoop Down On Texans
Online betting players will see the Houston Texans have a rough ride on Thursday night, as they may have to head to Philadelphia without their most explosive offensive player. The Philadelphia Eagles will have their full arsenal ready to go, and after a poor showing in the red zone last week, they’ll put some points on the boards against a horrible Houston defense.
- What: NFL betting
- When: Thursday, December 2nd, 8:20 PM ET
- Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
- Pick: Philadelphia Eagles -8.5
What’s On The Line
The Texans (5-6) improved their mark with a 20-0 shutout of the Tennessee Titans, but that was overshadowed by star receiver Andre Johnson’s fight with Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan, and it’s unlikely that Johnson will play in this game, robbing the Texans of their best offensive weapon. The Eagles (7-4) had a three-game winning streak snapped with a 31-26 loss at the Chicago Bears, and they’re in a massive battle with the New York Giants atop the NFC East. Houston is trying to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, and the Eagles still have a lot at stake as well, so both teams will be giving their all on Thursday.
Offensive Matchups: Texans Eagles Betting
Houston dominated the ball against the Titans, converting nine of their 18 three-down opportunities while holding the ball for over 39 minutes. Matt Schaub passed for 178 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Arian Foster ran for 143 yards and was one of two Houston players with nine catches or more, along with Johnson. The Texans are seventh in the league offensively, but you have to wonder if Johnson is going to be sitting out because of his dust-up with Finnegan, and if so, how will the Texans replace him?
The Eagles had their chances on Sunday, but they failed to find the end zone on four of their five chances inside the 20-yard-line. Michael Vick threw for 333 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and he threw his first pick all season, along with four fumbles that were all recovered by his team. The Bears did an excellent job of taking away the deep pass, forcing Vick to take his check-down receivers, and that slowed down the Philadelphia offense immensely. The Eagles are five spots ahead of Houston in the offensive rankings in seventh place, and meeting a bad Texans defense may be just what the doctor ordered.
Betting Edge: Eagles
Defensive Matchups: Texans Eagles Betting
The Texans held the Titans to 162 yards, but you have to take that with a grain of salt as Tennessee went with Rusty Smith, who was making his first career start under center, and that allowed them to key on the running game. Glover Quin also picked off Smith three times, giving Houston 13 takeaways on the year so far, and you have to know that the defense was helped up by playing a terrible offense. The Texans are still 28th in the league on this side of the ball, and only New England is worse against the pass, so they’re going to have their hands full against the explosive Eagles.
Philadelphia sacked Jay Cutler four times, but Cutler also passed for four scores and wasn’t picked off. The Eagles were missing cornerback Asante Samuel, but that probably didn’t help much against a Chicago team that has a varied passing game. Like their offense, the Eagles’ defense struggled in the red zone, and that was the difference for them. We’re still giving the edge to Philadelphia, who are 10th in the league defensively, and if the Texans are without Johnson, that makes things easier.
Betting Edge: Eagles
Notable Injuries: Texans Eagles Betting
Johnson (disciplinary reasons) will likely be suspended, and no matter how much Finnegan probably deserved it, you can’t punch people in the face and avoid suspension in Roger Goodell’s NFL. Tight end Owen Daniels (hamstring) will have to be watched after missing the Tennessee game for the Texans.
Samuel (knee) and end Juqua Parker (hip) won’t have that long to get back into the lineup as the Eagles are on a short week.
Betting Edge: Draw
Outlook and Pick: Texans Eagles Betting
The Eagles are an early 9-point NFL betting favorite in this contest, and it could get up to double digits if Johnson is suspended. These two teams have met just twice, with Philadelphia winning 35-17 at home in 2002, and then again with a 24-10 victory in Houston in 2006. We’re going to take Philadelphia in the short week because the Houston defense isn’t going to be that good again, especially on the road, and especially against a Philadelphia offense that will be eager to improve. Also, with no Johnson in the lineup, the Eagles can stack the box against Foster, and they can blitz Schaub into oblivion. We’re taking Philadelphia to cover the sports betting spread.
Stan’s Pick: Philadelphia Eagles
