New England Patriots vs. Houston Texans, 9/9/18 NFL Predictions & Odds

Texans vs. Patriots Prediction

Will the New England Patriots open their season with another victory when they welcome the upstart Houston Texans to town at 1PM ET?

Game Snapshot & Odds

465 Houston Texans at 466 New England Patriots

Sunday, September 9, 2018

1PM ET – Gillette Stadium

TV: CBS

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Public Betting Trends

According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, the Patriots are favored at home, as they are getting odds of -6 points against the Texans. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 50.5 points. The public betting for this game currently has 52 percent going on New England at home. This information is subject to change, however, so be sure to check out our NFL Public Betting Page for updated figures on the game.

Patriots a favorite again

The Patriots reached another Super Bowl last season, falling to the Eagles in the title game. They come into the 2018 season as the Super Bowl favorite once again. Bill Belichick enters his 19^th season as head coach of the Patriots. He has a 214-74 record with New England, including five Super Bowl titles and eight AFC titles. The Pats finished last season with a 12-7 record against the spread and 10-9 with the under.

New England had the leading offense in the NFL last season, averaging 28.6 points and 394.2 yards per game. Tom Brady continued to defy his age, throwing for 4,577 yards and 32 touchdowns with only eight interceptions. Both Rob Gronkowski and Brandin Cooks had over 1,000 yards receiving, but Cooks was shipped off to the Rams. Danny Amendola left for Miami and Julian Edelman has a four-game suspension to start the year. Defensively, New England gave up just 18.5 points per game last year, but did allow 366 yards per game, which was near the bottom of the NFL.

Texans hopeful in 2018

The Houston Texans had some promise early in the 2017 season, but injuries derailed the season and ultimately led to a 4-12 record. It was the first losing season for Bill O’Brien in his four years as head coach. The Texans were just 7-9 against the spread in 2017 and 9-7 with the under.

Houston averaged 21.1 points and 320 yards per game on offense last year. Rookie QB Deshaun Watson looked great last year before suffering a knee injury early in the year. Watson threw for 1,699 yards with 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions while rushing for 269 yards and two scores. DeAndre Hopkins had one of his best years as a pro, catching 96 passes for 1,378 yards and 13 touchdowns. Defensively, Houston allowed 27.3 points and 346.6 yards per game in 2017. The team again lost J.J. Watt early in the season due to injury before he could have much impact. Jadeveon Clowney had a career-high in sacks to step up for Watt, finishing the year with 9.5 sacks.

NFL Betting Trends

New England

The Patriots have covered the spread in 21 of their last 28 conference games and in six of their last eight September games.

Houston

The Texans are 1-4 against the spread in their last five road games and they failed to cover in four straight conference games.

Prediction:

This game should be pretty interesting. Houston and New England had a shootout last year when Watson was healthy and I think they will have another shootout today. Despite that, I would still trust the Patriots to cover. The spread is less than a touchdown and PAT. I think Houston will get some success, but the Patriots will ultimately do what they do. Houston is a franchise that is still learning to win these big road games.

 

NFL Prediction: New England Patriots -6

Related: Texans vs. Patriots Total Prediction