2013 ESPN Monday Night Football Week 1 Odds: Texans vs. Chargers

Texans vs. Chargers Odds

SAN DIEGO, CA (The Spread) – The opening week of the NFL Season closes with the San Diego Chargers hosting the Houston Texans at 10:20PM ET on ESPN.

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Houston went 12-4 last season while going 9-7 against the spread and hitting the under 8 times. San Diego is coming off a 7-9 record where the Chargers went 7-9 against the spread and hit the over 10 times.

Trends show that the Chargers have covered the spread in their last 4 meetings with Houston. The Texans are also 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games and 0-5 ATS in their last 5 Monday Night games.

According to oddsmakers from Bovada.lv, Houston is favored on the road, as the Texans have odds of -3.5 points against the Chargers. The over/under total for the game has been set at 44.5 points (View Matchup). The opening odds for this game had Texans favored by 3 points. The spread hit a low of 2.5 points before making its climb up to 3.5. The over/under total opened at 46 points and made the slow fall down to 44.5 points.

Houston is coming off a playoff season a year ago and the Texans have hopes to make a run for the Super Bowl this season. Houston was led last year by its play-making defense that had 15 interceptions, 16 forced fumbles and 44 sacks. The Texans also held opponents to just 20.7 points and 323.3 yards per game. Offensively, Houston quarterback Matt Schaub threw for 4,008 yards and 22 touchdowns last year while running back Arian Foster had 1,424 rushing yards with 15 scores. Foster is questionable for this game, but the Texans have a capable backup in Ben Tate.

The Chargers come into the season with a new head coach in Mike McCoy. He takes over for Norv Turner, who was let go after last season. McCoy has many of the same players that Turner did, including quarterback Philip Rivers. Rivers is coming off a 3,606-yard and 26-touchdown season. The problem with the offense has been the lack of a consistent running game. Ryan Mathews had 707 yards and just one touchdown last season. The Chargers will need him to have a bigger role. The Chargers defense wasn’t awful, allowing only 21.9 points and 326.4 yards per game.

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In terms of Injuries, Houston safety Ed Reed is doubtful with a hip injury while running back Arian Foster is questionable with a calf injury. San Diego linebacker Manti Te’o is out for this game with a foot injury while receiver Eddie Royal is questionable with a concussion.

The Public Bets for this game are currently backing Houston, as the Texans are getting 81% of the wagers with odds of -3.5 points against the Chargers.

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