Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans Odds
The Oakland Raiders will be looking to get back on track when they visit the Houston Texans Sunday.
Odds makers have the Raiders coming up short, listing them as a six-point underdog with the total set at 49.
Oakland wasn’t able to build on its impressive win over the New York Jets, falling 31-19 at home to the New England Patriots.
The Raiders outgained the Pats 504-409 but were minus-two in the turnover column.
Quarterback Jason Campbell completed 25 of 39 passes for 344 yards and a touchdown but was picked off twice.
Wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey finally had the breakout game many of us have been waiting for. He hauled in four passes for 115 yards.
Darren McFadden led the way with 75 of Oakland’s 160 rushing yards.
The Texans are already halfway to the six wins they recorded in 2010. They improved to 3-1 on the season with Sunday’s 17-10 home win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Matt Schaub completed 14 of 21 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions.
A healthy Arian Foster gashed the Steelers on the ground, rushing for 155 yards and a score while averaging 5.2 yards per carry.
With star wide receiver Andre Johnson doubtful for this week’s contest with a hamstring injury, the Texans may have to turn to their ground game again this week. That might not be a bad idea considering Oakland ranks 29th in the NFL with 136 rushing yards allowed per game.
Houston rushed for 248 yards in last year’s 31-24 victory in Oakland.
While Oakland ranks No. 1 in the NFL with 178.8 rushing yards per game, passing the football may actually give it the best chance to pull off the upset.
The Texans have wins over the Colts, Dolphins and Steelers this year, and these three teams all netted less than 200 passing yards against them. Their lone loss came to the Saints, who netted 354 passing yards.
If you recall, the Texans ranked dead last in the NFL in pass defense last season with 267.5 yards allowed per game. Don’t be surprised if Oakland looks to test the Houston secondary in this one.
Houston has won five of six all-time meetings with Oakland both straight up and against the spread. These two last met in Houston on Oct. 4, 2009 with the Texans winning 29-6.
Houston has had Oakland’s number, but the Raiders’ ability to bounce back must be taken into consideration. The Raiders are 5-0 against the spread in their last five games following a straight up defeat and 12-2 against the number in their last 14 games following an against the spread loss.
The Texans, meanwhile, are 1-5 against the number in their last six games following a straight up win and 4-10-2 against the spread in their last 16 games following an against the spread victory.
In regard to the total, the over appears to be worth a look. That’s because the Raiders have played to the over in 12 of their last 16 games against AFC opponents.
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