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Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans NFL Betting Odds & Picks

Written by Jimmy Boyd

texans titans 91409 AFC South rivals Houston and Tennessee did not get off to the starts they were looking for. The Texans, who have high hopes of recording the first winning season in franchise history, were crushed by the Jets at home, and the Titans, last year’s No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs, were defeated in overtime by the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers. This Sunday, one of these teams will get their season moving in the right direction while the other will fall to 0-2. NFL odds makers feel it will be Tennessee breaking through, listing the Titans as 7-point favorites with the total set at 40.5.

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The Texans boasted one of the highest powered offenses in the NFL last season, but you would never know that by watching their Week 1 performance against the New York Jets. Rex Ryan’s defense only allowed Houston past the 50-yard line once in the first three quarters and held the Texans to just 183 yards of offense. Houston’s big playmakers, Steve Slaton and Andre Johnson, were held to 17 yards rushing and 35 yards receiving respectively. Quarterback Matt Schaub completed just 18 of 33 passes for 166 yards and an interception. Head coach Gary Zubiak took responsibility for the poor offensive effort and also said that Schaub had not yet completely recovered from an ankle sprain. It gets no easier for Houston this week.

The Titans were one of the best defensive teams in the NFL last season and they played very well on the defensive side of the football against Pittsburgh in the season opener, holding the defending Super Bowl champs to just 10 points in regulation. The Texans and the Titans split last year’s two meetings, but the Texans were blown out 12-31 in their game at Tennessee.

While Tennessee was very tough on the run in Week 1, Pittsburgh was able to expose the Titans through the air. QB Ben Roethlisberger went 33 of 43 for 363 yards. An air assault figures to be Houston’s best shot to move the football against the Tennessee defense and I don’t expect a unit that was so explosive in 2008 to look so out of sync again in Week 2. If you think Houston can take its division rivals right down to the wire, bet the Texans at +7 at Sportsbook.com.

It’s no secret what Tennessee wants to do offensively and that’s run the football with the duo of Chris Johnson and LenDale White. The duo combined for just 85 yards against a stiff Steelers defense in Week 1, but they figure to have more success against a Houston defense which allowed 190 rushing yards against the Jets. The Tennessee running backs are considered the stars of the offense while QB Kerry Collins is considered the game manager, but I was very impressed with his play in Week 1. He was 22 of 35 for 244 yards against a defense which ranked No. 1 in the NFL against the pass in 2008. Collins only had four games of 200 or more yards in 2008, but he proved that he can move the chains through the air if teams take away the running attack. If you like Tennessee to bounce back in a big way at home, bet the Titans at -7 at Sportsbook.com.

Make sure you consult World Champion Handicapper Jimmy Boyd’s NFL expert picks before making a single move in Week 3 action.

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