Tennessee Titans (1-0 SU, 1-0 ATS) vs. Houston Texans (1-0 SU, 0-1 ATS)
NFL Week 2
Date and Time: Sunday, September 15, 1:00pm
Where: Reliant Stadium Houston, Texas
TV: CBS
by Bob, Football Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread: TEN +9.5/HOU -9.5
Over/Under Total: 43
The Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans
both come into this contest with a record of 1-0 after their wins in week
one. Houston had to battle from 21 points down to finally top the Chargers
31-28 on a last second field, while the Titans manhandled the Pittsburgh
Steelers offense on their way to a 16-9 win. Tennessee comes into this game
as 9.5 point underdogs when they travel into Houston. Houston has been picked
by some to make a run all the way to the Super Bowl due to the amount of
talent and depth on both sides of the ball. Last season they were hindered
by injury, if the Texans can stay healthy, this team could go a long way.
Many experts have an almost opposite feeling about the Titans. I for one
believe in this team. Tennessee has a very impressive, revamped offensive
line that will help Chris Johnson get back to his old rushing ways and also
give quarterback, Jake Locker a little time to get the passing game going.
9.5 is a lot of points for an NFL game, lets take a closer look at this
AFC matchup
Like I mentioned above, the Houston Texans are loaded and anything less than an AFC title, will be considered a failure to many. The Texans on the defensive side of the ball is led by JJ Watt and Brian Cushing, while Matt Schaub, Arian Foster, and Andre Johnson lead the way for the Houston offense. One thing that stunned me this past week was the coaching decision for Ben Tate and Arian Foster to split carries. Some may not agree with this move, but in my opinion it is absolute genius. Foster has had injuries in the past and if the Texans are primed to make a Super Bowl run, they are going to need him down the stretch. Ben Tate is powerful runner with decent speed who does an exceptional job of making sure the running game doesn’t lose any steam. Tate had issues fumbling the ball when he was a youngster in the SEC at Auburn, but since entering the NFL he has gradually got better and better protecting the ball. The key to this game for Houston is simple. Control the ball and play defense. Tennessee is not going to roll over in this game, especially given the fact that they now have an extra boost of confidence. Houston needs to play their best football from the coin toss if they want to improve to 2-0. Let’s just say, if the Titans go up 28-7, there will be no comeback for the Texans.
I truly believe that Tennessee is one of the most under valued teams in all of the NFL. They have a very stout offensive line, a quarterback who is gradually improving each week, and an all pro running back in Chris Johnson. Tennessee is not going to dominate games, they aren’t going to put up huge numbers, but they will win games this year. Tennessee is my dark horse pick to be an AFC Wild Card team come January. Tennessee has one major key to win this game: Do not turn the ball over. I believe the Titans defense is good enough to slow down the Texans but the Titan offense must not give up field position that turns into easy scores for Houston. Tennessee needs to make them work. Them being the Texans. Give them nothing, they must earn every yard and every point.
Bob’s Pick to Cover the Point Spread: I will just get right to it. 9.5 points is far too many for Houston to be giving up. Will Houston win this game? Probably so, but I don’t see them taking it by double digits. I really like Tennessee to be scrappy and keep this game somewhat close throughout. Houston has the weapons, but I am sticking with my preseason pick and I think the Titans prove for the 2nd week in a row, that they are no pushover. Take the Titans plus the points TITANS +9.5