NFL Preseason Predictions: Will Patriots vs. Texans be high-scoring? 8/19/17

Patriots vs. Texans Preseason Pick

Will tonight's Patriots and Texans preseason matchup be high-scoring in Houston tonight at 8:00PM ET?

According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Texans are now 1.5-point home favorites versus the Patriots after opening as a 1-point favorite. As for the total, it hit the board at 40 but has been bet up to 41.

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NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: Tom Brady will play in tonight's preseason game after he was rested in the team's preseason opener. The Patriots plan to play the majority of their starters against the Texans, but will continue to be cautious with tight end Rob Gronkowski, who will not play. Third-round selection Derek Rivers also won't play and will miss the season after tearing his ACL and spraining his LCL this week in practice.

HOUSTON TEXANS: Receiver DeAndre Hopkins won't play in tonight's preseason matchup with the Patriots due to a hand injury. The team will also be without Braxton Miller due to an ankle injury. Meanwhile, rookie signal-caller Deshaun Watson says he feels in control of Bill O'Brien's offense. He was impressive in the team's preseason opener last week.

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OUR PREDICTION: I like the over in this game, especially with Brady and New England's first-string offense likely to play at least the first quarter. Watson also looked sharp in his preseason debut, so both offenses should be rolling tonight. Even without Gronk, the Patriots could score 20-plus points in what could turn into a mini shootout.

 

NFL PRESEASON WEEK 2 PREDICTIONS: PATRIOTS/TEXANS OVER 41