NFL Football Texans Analysis
One of my favorite tools in preparing for the 2014 NFL season and to enhance your NFL wagering knowledge is to look ahead at each team’s regular-season schedule and evaluate the games they will play. I give you the Houston Texans.
Texans Odds [dfads params=’groups=63740&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
Odds to win the 2015 Super Bowl XLIX: 60/1
Odds to win the 2015 AFC Conference: 20/1
Season Win Total: 9 wins
Sun, Sept. 7 WASHINGTON
Both of these clubs are prime candidates for bounce-back seasons, so it makes for an interesting match-up to open the 2014 regular season.
Sun, Sept. 14 @ Oakland
Quarterback Matt Schaub and the Texans get the whole “reunion” thing out of the way quickly; Schaub was Houston’s starter last season and everything went totally pear-shaped, so the Texans dealt him to the Raiders for a measly sixth-round pick.
Sun, Sept. 21 @ NY Giants
Schaub was terrible last year, but so was Giants’ starter Eli Manning. He’s desperately looking for redemption, but all new Houston pivot Ryan Fitzpatrick has to do is limit the turnovers, and Houston might have this road game.
CLICK to GRAB OUR BEST Expert Sports & Football Picks for 2014 GAMBLING!
Sun, Sept. 28 BUFFALO
The Texans, 2-13 in 2013, are helped this year by an easy early schedule. Going 4-0 to start the year is a possibility and by then, everyone will believe the redemption campaign is in full swing.
Sun, Oct. 5 @ Dallas
Week 5 is where the trickier draws begin for the Texans. Jerry Jones’s men always get up for their intra-state tilt with the neighbors to the east. Everyone piles on Dallas QB Tony Romo, but the reality is he’s an excellent passer – especially in the regular season.
Thurs, Oct. 9 INDIANAPOLIS
It helps that the home team only has to shoot across the eastern portion of the state of Texas for this Thursday nighter, but the short rest and the opponent still makes it daunting. The Texans and Colts have long been divisional heavies (until Houston’s 2013 stinker) and Indy QB Andrew Luck is the real deal. The Houston defensive line, dripping with potential, must get to Luck early and often.
Mon, Oct. 20 @ Pittsburgh
You never know what you’ll get with the Steelers these days, but it is established that Heinz Field is a tough place to go win a game in. Especially when your club had two wins last season.
Sun, Oct. 26 @ Tennessee
If Titans’ signal-caller Jake Locker isn’t injured by this point, then the triumvirate of DE J.J. Watt, rookie DE Jadeveon Clowney and OLB Brian Cushing might just make that happen for him.
[soliloquy id=”82219″]
Sun, Nov. 2 PHILADELPHIA
With Eagles’ head coach Chip Kelly, people think of his offense and automatically think up-tempo and points. It’s sometimes easy to forget that this is a run-oriented attack, keyed with the brilliance of RB LeSean McCoy.
Week 10 BYE
Sun, Nov. 16 @ Cleveland
Many people – including Houston mayor Annise Parker – howled for the Texans to draft state legend Johnny Manziel with their top pick. In Week 11 the Texans travel to the team that drafted “Johnny Football”; don’t rule out Manziel starting for the Browns by this point and giving the visiting fans a slice of Texas-sized nostalgia.
Sun, Nov. 23 CINCINNATI
The Texans get the Ohio teams back-to-back, but the Bengals travel to Houston’s NRG Stadium. There are a flock of brilliant pass-catchers taking the field in this one – Houston WR Andre Johnson, Cincy wideout A.J. Green, and TEs Garrett Graham (HOU) and Jermaine Gresham (CIN). Should make for an entertaining one.
Sun, Nov. 30 TENNESSEE
Ink is spilled about Houston’s athletes on defense, but the Titans have a nice little flock of LBs themselves in their 3-4 scheme, led by the violent and jarring Derrick Morgan. Look for them to try and disrupt Fitzpatrick and stymie Houston RBs Arian Foster and Andre Brown.
Sun, Dec. 7 @ Jacksonville
Jags’ newcomer RB Toby Gerhart is a hard-nosed runner who punches the clock, but it’s not every week he’ll run into a nasty front seven like Houston possesses. Jacksonville will be better off with QB Chad Henne flinging to Cecil Shorts and two draft-day additions that should start (Allen Robinson and Marqise Lee).
Sun, Dec. 14 @ Indianapolis
This game should be raucous, especially if Indy is the best team in the division (it should be) and Houston is the second-best contender, though still a ways back of the leader (it should be). Alas, it doesn’t say much for the AFC South in 2014.
Sun, Dec. 21 BALTIMORE
Everyone should be a little curious about what we will see out of the Ravens this season. Will QB Joe Flacco continue to show that he’s wildly overpaid thanks to a strong Super Bowl performance, or will they re-focus and figure it out?
Sun, Dec. 28 JACKSONVILLE
Houston gets the middling divisional Jags at home for the last game of the year, which if nothing else is a chilled-out way to finish the regular season. Yes, Jacksonville has some work to do.
The 2014/15 NFL futures betting season is here in full force! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting.
