The Houston Texans (9-7) were blasted last week by the Baltimore Ravens, 31-2. As a result, their playoff seeding is set. As the winders of the AFC South, the Texans are the 4-seed in the AFC.
After a couple of Week 17 wins by the dregs of the NFL, the Tennessee Titans (3-13) are now sitting alongside the New England Patriots as the bottom-feeders of the league. As a result, they are in position to pick 2nd in the NFL Draft this Spring.
Who has the incentive to play their starters and battle for the win on Sunday? The sports books believe the hometown Titans will be in a better mindset and field a more talented lineup as they have installed Tennessee as the slight favorite in this contest.
One of Tennessee’s three wins on the campaign has been against Houston. Will Levis threw for 278 yards including a couple TDs and the Titans outlasted the Texans 32-27 in Week 11.
Week 18 is like no other in the season as there are far more agendas at work than simply competing for a win. Individual player incentives are pushed to the forefront as is protecting players’ health as is playing for draft position.
Let’s dive in and find a sweat or two in this game.
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Game details and how to watch Texans at Titans
· Date: January 5, 2025
· Time: 1 PM ET
· Site: Nissan Stadium
· City: Nashville, TN
· TV/Streaming: CBS
Latest Game Odds for Texans at Titans
The latest odds courtesy of DraftKings:
· Moneyline: Houston Texans (-108), Tennessee Titans (-112)
· Spread: Titans -1
· Total: 38.5
The Sides and Total sit right where they opened. Doubtful the number moves as the week unfolds. No question this will be one of the least bet games of the weekend. It is what is known as a “friends and family game”. Few others will be paying attention to it.
Expert picks & predictions for Texans at Titans
NBC Sports Bet Best Bets
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NFL calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, betting trends, and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Thursday’s game between Houston and Tennessee:
- Moneyline: NBC Sports is leaning towards a play on the Titans on the Moneyline
- Spread: NBC Sports is staying away from a play ATS in this game.
- Total: NBC Sports is leaning towards a play on the Game Total UNDER 38.5.
- Player Props: Be sure to look at the player props once they post for both Joe Mixon rushing yards and Nico Collins receiving yards. Each is approaching 1000 yards respectively.
Texans at Titans Stats, Betting Trends
· The Texans are 6-10 against the spread this season.
· The Texans are 5-11 to the OVER this season.
· The Titans are 2-14 against the spread this season.
· The Titans are 9-7 to the OVER this season.
· Houston RB Joe Mixon needs seven yards to reach 1000 for the season.
· Houston WR Nico Collins needs 32 yards to reach 1000 for the season.
Quarterback Matchup for Texans at Titans
· Houston Texans: C.J. Stroud – looking to rebound this week after a poor showing last week against Baltimore. The 2nd-year pro completed 17 of 31 passes for just 185 yards with 1 INT. Was also sacked 5 times.
· Tennessee Titans: Mason Rudolph and Will Levis – each is expected to play for the Titans this Sunday. The veteran Rudolph has appeared in 7 games and thrown 9 TDs and 9 picks while averaging 208.6 yards per game. Levis’ last outing was on 12/15 against Cincinnati. Only one of his 12 passes fell to the ground as he completed 8 to his team and three to Bengals’ defenders.
Texans at Titans Injury Report
· Tennessee OT Jaelyn Duncan (shoulder) has been declared out of Sunday’s game.
· Tennessee RB Tyjae Spears (concussion) has been declared out of Sunday’s game.
· Tennessee RB Tony Pollard (ankle) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
· Tennessee S Amani Hooker (shoulder) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
· Tennessee K Nick Folk (abdomen) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
· Tennessee OT Dillon Radunz (shoulder) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
· Tennessee LB Otis Reese (ankle) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
· Tennessee CB L’Jarius Sneed (quad) is expected to be activated from IR and be available for Sunday’s game.
· Houston DT Foley Fatukasi (ankle) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
· Houston G Shaq Mason (knee) is doubtful for Sunday’s game.
· Houston C Juice Scruggs (foot) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
· Houston TE Teagan Quitoriano (knee) is expected to be activated from IR and be available for Sunday’s game.
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