After a long off-season, NFL bettors finally get their chance to get down on some pre-season action this weekend. On Saturday night, the Denver Broncos invade Reliant Stadium to pay a visit to the Houston Texans, coached by former longtime Broncos OC Gary Kubiak. Denver went 2-2 SU and ATS in the ’07 preseason. The Texans also went 2-2 SU (2-1-1 ATS) in their four exhibitions, but did score the most points of any team over the four weeks (104).
For the first time since 1999, the Broncos finished the regular season with a sub .500 record. QB Jay Cutler had a productive year in his first as a full-time starting field general. The Vanderbilt product threw for 3,497 yards and 20 touchdowns, but his 14 interceptions proved very costly in decisive moments over the course of the season. Perhaps even stranger was Denver’s lack of a running game.
RB’s Travis Henry and Selvin Young split the bulk of the work. Young was the better back, averaging 5.2 yards per carry, but neither reached 800 yards. He’ll be expected to carry the load this year by himself, as Henry has departed, and rookie RB Ryan Torain will miss the next three months due to injury.
Defensively, the Broncos are expecting an improved season out of their superstar cornerback tandem of Dre’ Bly and Champ Bailey, who only combined for eight interceptions a year ago. DE Elvis Dumervil has had two fantastic seasons with Denver, posting 21 sacks since being drafted by the Broncos in 2006. If the team is to have success rushing the passer, Dumervil must have another strong campaign.
On the contrary, 2007 was a huge success for the Texans. It was the first time in franchise history that they finished at .500, and showed rapid improvement in facets of the game that they historically struggled in. The much-maligned offensive line only allowed 22 sacks in 2007, the best mark in franchise history.
They should be even stronger this year with the addition of Chris Myers via free agency and Duane Brown through the draft. Kubiak will have a plethora of running backs to choose from, as there are six players that could make a case to be the starter even though Ahman Green appears to have the job as of this moment. All six won’t make the team, so expect to see a very heated competition from the Texans running backs.
On the defensive side, Houston has a very solid front seven, with potential Pro Bowlers Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans, and Amobe Okoye anchoring the bunch. The team really hasn’t addressed its need at safety, but could get decent contributions from rookie Dominique Barber (Minnesota) throughout the pre-season.
In their previous pre-season meeting in 2006, Denver knocked off the visiting Texans 17-14. The NFL Betting trends favor the Broncos in this match-up. In preseason games against the AFC South, Denver is 6-1 SU and 5-2 ATS their L/7. Houston is only 9-15 ATS in their preseason games. However, since Kubiak took over as HC, the Texans are 5-3 SU and 5-2-1 ATS.
Oddsmakers have installed the hosts as 3-point home favorites in this pre-season showdown with the ‘total’ now sitting at 34.5. Last year, Houston’s games averaged almost 48 PPG, while Denver’s contests averaged right at the 34.5 BetUS sportsbook offers this ‘total’ at.
You can find these lines and all of the NFL Preseason betting lines at BetUS.com, so be sure to login and get your wagers down before kickoff!
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