Texans Ravens Betting – Rested Ravens Roll Over Texans
Houston is still the sports betting favorite in their division after a tough loss, but if they’re going to make waves in the AFC, they’ll have to perform against the top teams and Baltimore is one of those clubs. The Ravens are rested after coming off a bye, and they’re at home, so it doesn’t look very good for the Texans.
What: NFL Betting
When: Sunday, October 16th, 1:00 PM ET
Where: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD
Pick: Baltimore Ravens -7.5
Why Bet On Houston Texans (3-2 SU, 3-2 ATS)
The Texans fell 25-20 at home to Oakland, but it was encouraging to see Matt Schaub put up big numbers with Andre Johnson (hamstring) on the sidelines as he was 24-of-51 for 416 yards and a couple of touchdowns. However, he was picked off twice and that really hurt the Texans (including a pick in the end zone to conclude the game), who should have run away with this game. Houston racked up 473 yards to 278 for the Raiders, had ten more first downs and were given a few chances by way of Oakland’s indiscipline, but you always got the feeling that the Raiders would pull it out for the memory of owner Al Davis, who passed away the previous day. Arian Foster didn’t get much done on the ground (22 carries for 68 yards), but he was the Texans’ most dangerous receiver with five catches for 116 yards and the more than he can get his hands on the ball, the better.
However, the line gave up three sacks and they’ll need to be much better against a good Baltimore pass rush. The injuries keep piling up as well, as Johnson won’t play and even though the Texans moved for veteran receiver Derrick Mason (who is the all-time leading receiver for Baltimore), who was traded from the New York Jets, he’ll be eased into the lineup. But the Texans suffered a huge loss as end/linebacker Mario Williams (pectoral) is out for the season, which means they’ve lost their best pass rush. Houston has to find a way for overcome his loss, and Brooks Reed looks to step into his shoes, but those are big shoes to fill.
Why Bet On Baltimore Ravens (3-1 SU, 3-1 ATS)
Baltimore is coming off a bye, and that’s a good thing for their NFL odds as they’re a veteran team who needs all the rest they can get. The defense looked incredible two weeks ago in a 34-17 win over the Jets, returning three turnovers back to the house for scores in one of the most opportunistic performances we’ve seen in a long time. As long as nose tackle Haloti Ngata, linebackers Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs, and safety Ed Reed are in the lineup, the Ravens are always going to be a handful on defense and they realize that they probably don’t have many chances left with this core. Offensively, Ray Rice gives the Ravens a dependable running game and he may be the most dangerous pass-catching back in the league, which is another weapon for Joe Flacco.
But the Ravens’ NFL betting chances ultimately rest with Flacco, who is 22nd in the league in passer rating and he has been wildly inconsistent to start the season. Hopefully, he had a chance to reset with the bye because the Ravens need him in top form if they’re going to go to the Super Bowl. As for injuries, receiver Lee Evans (ankle) thinks he’ll be able to play, but he’ll have to get through practice first, while defensive backs Jimmy Smith (ankle) and Tom Zbikowski (concussion) will probably sit this one out. Evans is more important here as Flacco needs as many weapons as he can get because right now, the ground game and the defense is carrying this team. That being said, the Ravens won the Super Bowl with the same formula in 2000.
How It Will Play Out
The Ravens are favored by 7.5 points at home against Houston according to NFL betting odds, and the Texans have made one trip to Baltimore, falling 16-15 as an underdog of the same amount of points. Overall, there have been four meetings between the two, with Baltimore posting records of 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS, with three games going over the posted total.
Houston won’t put up the same numbers against the Ravens as they did against Oakland, as
Baltimore is at home, coming off a bye, and even though Schaub had some success against the Raiders, the Ravens’ defense is a different ball game. They won’t be able to run, so they’ll need to get the ball to Foster, but Baltimore’s defense goes up against this all the time with Rice in practice, so they should be fine. With no pass rush on him, look for Flacco to bounce back from his stinker against the Jets. Take Baltimore to cover in your online betting book this weekend.
Texans Ravens Betting Pick: Baltimore Ravens
