The New England Patriots are 11-1 straight up and 10-2 against the spread in their last 12 games overall. The Patriots will be looking for their eighth straight win when they host the Houston Texans this Saturday night.
Texans vs. Patriots 2017 odds: New England huge favorite hosting Houston on Saturday
The New England Patriots will be looking to cover the largest playoff spread since 1998 when they play host to the Houston Texans in Divisional round action this weekend.
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New England is a 15.5-point favorite in Foxborough at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. This is the largest spread in a playoff game since 1998, when the Minnesota Vikings were a 16-point favorite over the Arizona Cardinals.
The Patriots finished their regular season on a 7-0 SU and 6-1 ATS run, winning their last five games by an average margin of victory of 19 points per game. Ranking third-best in the NFL in scoring with 27.6 points per game and best in the league in scoring defense (15.6 points per game), the Patriots stand as the clear favorite to win the Super Bowl.
New England is 17-3 SU in its last 20 games as a postseason home favorite.
In their last seven games against the Texans, the Patriots are 6-1 SU and ATS, per the OddsShark NFL Database. New England beat Houston 27-0 earlier this season without starting quarterback Tom Brady.
Betting Line / Total: New England -15.5 / 44.5 Points
Trend: The Patriots are 17-3 SU in their last 20 games in the playoffs as home favorites.
Trend: The Texans are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games as road underdogs.
Houston came into the postseason with the best total defense in the NFL allowing only 301.3 yards per game, and that defense was on display in a 27-14 win over the Oakland Raiders last week.
Brock Osweiler didn’t do much in his return, passing for only 168 yards and a touchdown, but he did protect the ball and was responsible for no turnovers for just the fourth time this season. The Texans are 11-7 ATS in their last 18 games as a double-digit underdog, and have five outright upsets over that stretch.
Saturday’s total is set at 44.5 points. The OVER is 6-2 in the last eight games between Houston and New England.
Both of these teams have excellent defenses, but only one of them has both home field advantage and an elite quarterback. Osweiler will need to be more than just a game manager if the Texans are going to have any shot at keeping this one close, and he just hasn’t shown that capability yet in his young career.
Houston Texans at New England Patriots
When: Saturday, Jan. 14, 8:15 p.m. ET
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
