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Houston Texans at Detroit Lions Odds and Game Pick (2020)

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The Thanksgiving Day NFL festivities kick off with a cross-conference matchup in the Motor City. Two teams clinging desperately to their postseason hopes will look to notch a crucial victory when the Houston Texans take on the Detroit Lions. The betting odds in advance of this contest offer a slight advantage to the road team.

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Details

  • Opening Lines: Lions -1.5; O/U 50.5
  • Current ATS Line: Texans -3
  • Current Over/Under: 51.5
  • Location: Ford Field – Detroit, MI
  • Start Time: 12:30 p.m. EST
  • Television: CBS
  • Last Meeting: October 30, 2016 – The Texans defeated the Lions 20-13 in Houston.
  • Attendance: No fans will be allowed to attend.
-3
-105
o51.5
-106
-156
JOIN NOW
+3
-115
u51.5
-114
+132

View consensus picks from experts for Texans at Lions >>
Overview

The Texans come into this Thanksgiving Day battle on the heels of their first win of the season. Their first win, that is, over a team not named the Jacksonville Jaguars. Deshaun Watson was brilliant in a seven-point victory over the New England Patriots that really wasn’t as close as the final score would lead you to believe. Watson and the Houston offense have another tremendous opportunity on deck against a Lions defense that surrenders an average of over four touchdowns per game. Star Texans pass rushers J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus will also be in a favorable matchup against a Detroit offensive line that is giving up 2.7 sacks per game.

For the Lions, it can’t be any worse than their performance against the Carolina Panthers this past weekend. Matthew Stafford was questionable leading up to the game and the Lions’ offense was also without D’Andre Swift and Kenny Golladay. Even so, 185 yards of total offense (only 40 rushing) and a mere 10 first downs are inexcusable. The fact that this abysmal showing came a week after a solid win over Washington was all the more obscure. Inconsistency has been a common theme during the Matt Patricia era in Detroit. The Lions will look to right the ship and improve upon their 37-41-2 record in Thanksgiving Day games.

Trends

  • Texans 2020 Betting Trends: 3-7 ATS; 5-5 to the Over
  • Lions 2020 Betting Trends: 4-6 ATS; 6-4 to the Over
  • The Texans are 5-2-2 ATS in their last nine road games against a team with a losing record at home.
  • The Lions are 3-7 ATS in their last ten home games.
  • The Over has cashed in each of the Lions’ last five games on field turf.

Prop Bet

Same Game Parlay: Texans -2.5 and Over 42.5 (+120 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
The Texans and Lions have a lot of things in common this season. Neither team plays much of any defense. Both sides have struggled to generate a consistent rushing attack. And both teams have also drawn favor amongst the sharp betting community. It’s interesting to see this line flip through zero to favor Houston after the Lions originally received the nod on the lookahead. At the end of the day, I trust Deshaun Watson more than Matthew Stafford. I also trust the talented pass rushers the Texans have more than anyone on the Detroit defense. Parlaying Houston -2.5 with an Over on 42.5 points falls in line with how I handicap the game. It also offers a half-point advantage over the current spread and nine points on the total. +120 odds are too good to ignore.

Bottom Line

There are two ways to look at the drastic difference between the current point spread and the lookahead line which favored the Lions by a point and a half. The first option is to deem the shift an overreaction to the most recent samplings we received from each team. The counterargument is that it is simply an adjustment to where both teams have been power rated for much of the season.

I’m firmly in the camp of the latter. I believe Houston is the more talented team of the two. The Lions have failed to muster a winning record on Thanksgiving Day with fans in the stands. It’s hard to anticipate them being much better in front of an empty stadium. Deshaun Watson will shine once again in a game that will see both sides score plenty.

Pick: Texans -3 and Over 51.5 (-105 and -112 respectively at FanDuel Sportsbook)

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Henry John is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Henry, check out his archive and follow him @HankTimeSports.