Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans Odds & Game Pick
Due to a strange scheduling choice, the Texans and Titans are meeting for the first time in Week 15 and the division rivals will face each other twice over the last three weeks of the season. Though it's strange to see division rivals meet for the first time so late in the season, this was the perfect year for it to happen, as everything is on the line for both teams. They each come into this first contest 8-5 and tied atop the AFC South. As things stand right now, the Texans hold the tiebreaker over the Titans.
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Texans at Titans Odds and Info
All odds taken from FanDuel Sportsbook.
- Opening Lines: FanDuel had the odds open as Titans -2.5; O/U 47.5. The spread has moved just a half-point, but the total has jumped 3.5 points from the opening line.
- Current Line: Titans -3
- O/U: 51
- Location: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
- Start Time: 1:00 pm ET
- Television: CBS
- Last Meeting: November 26, 2018 – The Texans defeated the Titans 34-17 in Houston.
View consensus picks from 100+ experts for the Texans at Titans. >>
Overview
Will the real Houston Texans please stand up? Two weeks ago, the Texans dominated the Patriots on Sunday Night Football, but last week they came out and had one of their worst performances of the season as they were destroyed at home by Drew Lock and the Denver Broncos. The Texans have had a hard time stringing together wins all season long, and it's part of the reason why their AFC South lead has all but vanished heading into their matchup with the Titans. The Texans started 4-2 SU and ATS, and have since moved to 8-5 SU, but only 6-7 ATS on the season.
Aside from a few duds, the Texans' offense has been solid this season. They are ranked in the top 10 in total offense, rushing offense, and passing offense, and rank number 11 in points per game. However, the defense ranks in the bottom 10 in total yards and passing yards allowed and ranks in the middle of the league in rushing yards against and points against per game.
While the Texans are just 4-3 in their last seven games, the Titans have been one of the best teams in all of football over that same span. Midway through the Titans' October 13 loss to the Broncos, head coach Mike Vrabel decided to bench quarterback Marcus Mariota in favor of Ryan Tannehill, and it's proven to be one of the best coaching decisions of the season. Since that game, the Titans are 6-1 SU and ATS and have resurrected their season after starting 2-4. Tannehill has thrown for 1,993 yards, 15 touchdowns, and just five interceptions on the season, good for a quarterback rating of 118.5.
But it's not just Tannehill that has helped the offense awaken from the dead. Derrick Henry is currently second in the league in rushing yards with 1,243 and has 13 touchdowns. He has rushed for over 100 yards over the last four weeks and in that span is averaging nearly seven yards per carry. In the first nine games of the season, Henry had just one 100 yard rushing game. The Texans defense is giving up 109.5 yards per game on the ground.
Trends
- The Texans are 6-7 ATS this season.
- The Titans are 7-5-1 ATS this season.
- The total has gone over in eight of the Titans' 13 games this season.
- The total has gone under in seven of the Texans' 13 games this season.
- The Texans are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games.
- The Titans are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games.
- The Texans are 12-4 ATS in their last 16 games vs Tennessee.
- The total has gone over in all of the Titans' last seven games.
Prop Bet
All odds taken from FanDuel Sportsbook.
Derrick Henry to score 2+ Touchdowns (+240)
Two touchdowns is not easy to predict for any running back unless that running back is named Derrick Henry. He has scored two touchdowns in four of his last five games, and it is likely that the Titans are going to try to work Henry all game long as they attempt to keep the Texans' offense off the field. Henry has been incredible over the last month, and his hot streak should continue against a Texans' defense that isn't great against the run. At +240, there is great value here.
Bottom Line
The Texans have oddly not lost back to back games this season, and while they have won back to back games on four different occasions, they have yet to win three straight. They're coming off a terrible loss which means, if trends are to be trusted, the Texans are going to pull out the victory this week. But can trends be trusted over Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry? Tannehill and the Titans have won four straight games, with their last three victories all coming by two scores or more. This is a bigger game for the Titans who currently do not hold the tiebreaker over the Texans and have a much tougher Week 16 matchup than the Texans, as they will have to take on the Saints. AFC South games are always so difficult to predict because the teams in the division are so hard to figure out. Since they're the home team, I like the Titans to pull out the victory, but I have a hard time imagining a game where Deshaun Watson isn't able to keep it close.
Check out our other NFL Sports Betting Guides for Week 15
- Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs (-10)
- Philadelphia Eagles at Washington (+5.5)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions (+4)
- Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers (-4.5)
- Seattle Seahawks at Carolina Panthers (+6)
- Miami Dolphins at New York Giants (-3)
- New England Patriots at Cincinnati Bengals (+10)
- Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Chargers (+1.5)
- Cleveland Browns at Arizona Cardinals (+3)
- Jacksonville Jaguars at Oakland Raiders (-6.5)
- Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers (-10.5)
- Los Angeles Rams at Dallas Cowboys (+1.5)
- Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers (-1)
- Indianapolis Colts at New Orleans Saints (-9)
Philip Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Philip, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.