The Houston Texans are 18-2 straight up and 14-5-1 against the spread in their last 20 games as a betting favorite. The Texans will try to pick up their 11th-straight win as a favorite this Saturday at home against the Oakland Raiders.
Raiders vs. Texans odds, 2017 NFL playoffs: Houston the favorite in AFC Wild Card game
The Houston Texans are on a streak of paying out as betting favorites as they prepare to host the Oakland Raiders as home chalk on Wild Card Weekend.
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Houston is a 3.5-point home favorite at NRG Stadium at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The visiting team is a perfect 4-0 SU and ATS in the last four games between these two teams.
The Texans were getting some solid play at quarterback from Tom Savage, but a concussion suffered last week against Tennessee propelled Brock Osweiler back into the starting role. Osweiler has been one of the most ineffective quarterbacks in the NFL this season and owns an ugly 15-to-16 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Houston’s total defense has been the best in the league this season, allowing only 301.3 yards per game, and that defense will be leaned on heavily with Osweiler back under center.
In their last eight games coming off a loss, the Texans are 6-2 SU and 5-2-1 ATS per the OddsShark NFL Database.
Betting Line / Total: Houston -3.5 / 36.5 Points
Trend: The favored team is 3-7-2 ATS in the last three years in wild card games.
Trend: The Texans are 14-5-1 ATS in their last 20 games as a favorite.
Oakland improved to 12-3 SU with its 33-25 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 16, but that no longer seemed to matter as star quarterback Derek Carr went down with a broken leg. Backup tandem Matt McGloin and Connor Cook weren’t able to muster up much in a 24-6 road loss to Denver that bumped the Raiders out of the No. 2 seed and down to this No. 5 matchup.
The rookie Cook will get the start against Houston over McGloin as the Raiders make their first playoff appearance since 2002. Oakland is 7-2-1 ATS in its last 10 postseason games.
Saturday’s total is set at 36.5 points. The OVER is 3-0 in the last three meetings between these two teams.
The Raiders have fallen from a legitimate Super Bowl contender to a road underdog in just two short weeks. But with Brock Osweiler back under center for Houston, a victory is far from guaranteed for the Texans. In what figures to be the ugliest game of Wild Card Weekend, the defense that is able to force more mistakes will likely be the one that leads its team to victory.
Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans
When: Saturday, January 7, 4:35 p.m. ET
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
