Houston Texans at Arizona Cardinals NFL Spread & Predictions

The 2-2 Houston Texans travel to the desert to take on the 1-2 defending NFC champion Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium in a Week 5 showdown. The Texans got back to the .500 mark last week with a dominant 29-6 win over Oakland while the Cardinals were off with a bye. There has only been one prior meeting between these teams and it came in Week 15 of the 2005 season. The Texans won 30-19 behind a pair of touchdown runs by Jonathan Wells. NFL odds makers expect Arizona to put its bye week to good use, listing the Cardinals as 5.5-point favorites with the total set at 50.

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While bye weeks can sometimes slow down the momentum of teams that are rolling, a bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for the Cardinals who are out of the gate just 1-2. Arizona should have an excellent shot to get back to the .500 mark against a defense that has been one of the worst in football this season. The Texans shut down the Raiders last week, allowing only 165 yards of offense, but I’m not ready to buy into them yet. In the three previous games the Jets, Titans, and Jags were able to do basically what ever they wanted offensively. Houston has been especially poor against the run, ranking 29th in the NFL. That could mean a big day for running backs Tim Hightower and Beanie Wells. Hightower leads the Cardinals in both rushing and pass receptions. Beanie Wells is averaging 4.4 yards per carry. If Arizona can get the running game going, then Houston will have no choice but to stack the box, opening up the airways for Kurt Warner and his talented crop of wideouts. Warner is just one 300-yard passing game away from 50 in his career, a feat only four other QB’s have accomplished. It is worth noting that the Cardinals are 5-1 against the spread in their last six games following a straight up loss of more than 14 points. If you like Arizona to bounce back strong with a win and cover at home this week, bet the Cardinals at -5.5 at Sportsbook.com.

When QB Matt Schaub plays well, the Texans normally win. In fact, Houston is 8-3 when Schaub posts a passer rating of 100 or better. But we could see this trend go the other way if Houston’s defense doesn’t start improving. Hopefully last week’s dominant performance against the Raiders was a step in the right direction, but the Raiders are hardly a good gauge with as poorly as they have been on offense this season. At this point, the Texans must start to be a whole lot more consistent on both sides of the football if they hope to make it over the hump and into the playoffs. Over the last couple seasons, they have built a reputation as a team capable of beating anyone or losing to anyone. The key to victory this week will be stuffing the run and getting pressure on Kurt Warner. Warner is going to get his yards. He threw for 332 yards and a touchdown against the Colts two weeks ago. But Indy’s pressure also forced him into two interceptions and four sacks.

On offense, I’m watching to see how the Cards handle wide receiver Andre Johnson. Arizona allowed 379 passing yards to Peyton Manning and company and they’ll have the tough task of locking up Johnson Sunday. Since 2008, Johnson leads the NFL with 1,911 receiving yards and 135 catches. It is worth noting that the Texans are 5-0 against the number in their last five games as an underdog. If you like Houston in the underdog role this week, bet the Texans at +5.5 at Sportsbook.com.

Take your sportsbook to the cleaners with Jimmy Boyd’s expert football picks this weekend!

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