Texans vs Ravens Divisional Weekend Gambling Preview
The Texans looked great on both sides of the ball last week in their playoff win over Cincinnati, but now they have a tall task taking on a Ravens’ team that went undefeated at home this season and has a great defense.
Venue/ Stadium: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD
Time/Date: 1 PM EST Saturday, January 15, 2011
NFL Odds From: Bovada
Moneyline: Texans +290 / Baltimore -350
Spread (ATS): Ravens -9
Over/Under: 35.5
Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens Preview
NFL lines have the Ravens as big 9-point favorites in this game with a total of 35.5.
Last week the Texans beat the Cincinnati Bengals 31-10 and the Ravens had the week off and in the last game if the regular season they also beat the Bengals 24-16.
Houston has been a better betting team on the season going 10-5-2 ATS with an O/U record of 7-10 and Baltimore is at 8-7-1 with an O/U record of 10-6.
Earlier this season these teams met in Houston and the Ravens beat the Texans 29-14 playing solid D and keeping the Texans’ rushing offense in check.
Rookie T.J. Yates played well last week and has 2 big play targets in WR Andre Johnson, who hauled in a 40-yard catch against Cincy, and TE Owen Daniels. The Baltimore pass defense ranks 4th in the league and you can be sure that LB Ray Lewis and the great Baltimore pass rush will come after the rookie QB all game long.
Adrian Foster had 153 rushing yards last week in the win over the Bengals, but in the earlier game against the Ravens and their 2nd ranked run defense he was held under 50 yards. He and Ben Tate are key in this game, as they must run the game since Yates will not carry the offense with his arm.[soliloquy id=”82219″]
The Houston pass defense is solid ranking 3rd in the league and they came up with 3 INT last win against Cincinnati. They will be facing Joe Flacco and the solid WR duo of Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith, who each had over 800 receiving yards this season and each averaged over 15 yards per reception.
The key in this game for the Houston D is their run defense, which ranks 4th in the league, and they have to keep Ray Rice in check. That is easier said than done, as Rice had the 2nd most rushing yards on the season and he rushed for over 100 yards in the win over Houston earlier this season.
AFC Playoff Betting Trends
Houston is 3-0-1 ATS in their last 4 games as an underdog, 4-1 in their last 5 games on the road, and they have an Over record of s 12-3-1 in their last 16 games as an underdog.
Baltimore is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 playoff games as a favorite, 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 home games, and they have an Over record of 5-2 in their last 7 games against teams with a winning record.
Jason’s Pick:
The Texas are only 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games against the Ravens and that trend will continue. Baltimore will dominate on defense and Ray Rice will have another good game, as the Ravens will win and they will cover the 9-point spread.
These teams combined for 43 points earlier this season and I think the score will be around the same, so take the Over.
