Houston Texans vs Baltimore Ravens Point spread: Baltimore -7 Over/Under: 45 |
The Houston Texans invade M&T Bank Stadium this upcoming Sunday afternoon to face the Baltimore Ravens in a showdown between two division leaders in the AFC. Game time is scheduled for 4:05 (p.m.) and it will be broadcast regionally on CBS.
Houston’s 25-20 loss to Oakland this past Sunday as a 4.5-point home favorite proved to be costly on a number of levels. Not only did it lose a game it really should have won, it lost its best player on defense, linebacker Mario Williams, for the season with a torn muscle in his chest. The loss dropped the Texans to 3-2 both straight-up and against the spread and into a tie with Tennessee atop the AFC South. The total has stayed ‘under’ in four of their five games.
There are injury concerns on the offensive side of the ball as well. It appears that All-Pro wide receiver Andre Johnson will miss his second straight game with a hamstring injury, although he has not been completely ruled out for Sunday. Quarterback Matt Schaub is listed as day-to-day with a sore shoulder, but should be ready to go by game time.
There are no major injury concerns for the well-rested Baltimore Ravens, who are coming off a bye week. They went into their bye with an impressive 34-17 victory over the New York Jets as 5.5-point home favorites. The win raised their record to 3-1 both SU and ATS and the total has now gone ‘over’ in all four games this year.
Baltimore is starting to put it all together for a serious run at the AFC title with an offense that is averaging 29.8 points a game and ranked 14th overall to go along with a defense that ranked third overall and first in the league in points allowed; giving up an average of just 14.2 a game.
The Texans are 1-4 ATS in their last five games on the road and 1-5 ATS in their last six games as road underdogs. The total has gone ‘over’ in five of their last seven road games.
The Ravens are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games following a bye week and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games overall. The total has gone ‘over’ in their last five games.
Last season, Baltimore beat Houston 34-28 as a three-point road favorite with the total going ‘over’ the 47-point line. The line for this Sunday’s game is right on the money, so be sure to check with BetAnySports.com throughout the week as a half-point either way will make all the difference in the world.
The Pick: Baltimore 24 Houston 17
