Bears vs. Texans Pick
Will the Houston Texans and Chicago Bears find themselves in a shootout when they two meet today at 1PM ET?
According to the oddsmakers at BetDSI, Houston is favored at home in this game, as the Texans are getting odds of -5.5 points against the Bears. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 44 points. These two have met three times in history, with Houston winning and covering in all three games. They have hit the under in two of three meetings.
The Texans won the AFC South last season, but they are looking to do even more than that by adding to the offense. They signed Brock Osweiler at quarterback and also added Lamar Miller at running back. Those two should help an offense that was already pretty formidable last year thanks to DeAndre Hopkins. The Houston defense was also very strong, allowing just 310.2 yards and 19.6 points per game in 2015. J.J. Watt is the face of the unit and coming off a 17.5-sack season in 2015. With him on the field, the defense is always a threat to make a big play.
Chicago is a hard team to figure out for expectations. On paper, they seem to have a lot of talent, but it just hasn’t mattered. Jay Cutler continues to be an average quarterback and now is dealing with a new offensive coordinator. Still, he has Alshon Jeffery to throw to and a new weapon in Kevin White, who was their 2015 first-round pick that was injured all last season. Defensively, Chicago also has talent, but they are currently dealing with a lot of injuries, especially on the back end. The Bears have six defensive backs listed on the injury report right now.
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Chicago’s injuries should help Osweiler ease into his new starting role with Houston. Miller also is primed for a big game, as the Bears have injuries at linebacker as well. Chicago could find some success of its own on offense, but the Texans’ defense is likely to make some plays at home, led by Watt. I just don’t see the Bears being able to keep pace with Houston, yet the Texans not scoring enough to carry the over on their own.
NFL WEEK 1 PICK: BEARS/TEXANS UNDER 44