Last Updated on October 3, 2010 6:10 pm by Anthony Rome
Texans vs. Raiders Free Pick
The Houston Texans look to get back into the win column this weekend when they travel west to take on the Oakland Raiders at 4:00PM ET. Let’s preview this matchup and make a pick for the game.
Before handing out our free pick for this game, let’s take a look at the latest odds.
Oddsmakers from online sports book BroburySports.com have made the Texans a 3-point favorite over the Raiders in Week 4. The over/under total for this game is 43.
The Texans were victims of the letdown last Sunday. After two impressive wins over the Colts and Redskins to start the season, they were embarrassed at home by the Cowboys, who played with more focus, heart and motivation. And with Andre Johnson listed as questionable for this week’s game against the Raiders, Houston suddenly looks like it’s a team in some trouble.
The Raiders should be 2-1 right now, but kicker Sebastian Janikowski missed a makeable field goal in the closing seconds of Oakland’s loss to the Cardinals last week and now Al Davis’ team is 1-2. Still, it’s clear that quarterback Bruce Gradkowski has given this team a lift and they should be competitive most Sundays.
The Free Pick:
The Texans are 4-1 against the spread in their last five meetings with the Raiders and 7-1 ATS in their last eight games in Week 4. The Raiders, meanwhile, are 0-6 ATS in their last six games following an ATS win and 4-21-2 ATS in their last 27 games as an underdog of 0.5-3.0. My pick for this game is the Texans. Even without Johnson, Houston can win with a run-first attack and allow Matt Schaub to pick apart Oakland’s secondary with Jacoby Jones and Kevin Walter. It’s enticing to take a Raiders team getting points at home against a banged up Texan squad, but there’s value in Houston only having to five up a field goal in this situation. If Johnson was healthy, the Texans may have been favored by more and the great thing is, he still may play.
2010 NFL Week 4 Free Pick: HOUSTON TEXANS –3