Houston Texans

Texans vs. Raiders: Point Spread and Over/Under

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Nov 13, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler (17) throws a pass during the second quarter of a football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Texans vs. Raiders – Statitical opposites, the Texans are a 6 point underdog and the number is 46.

This is a big game for both teams. The Raiders are fighting for the AFC West lead. Houston his a more secure division lead, but the team is struggling to establish any semblance of an NFL passing game. Unless the Texans passing game improves dramatically they have no chance of making a deep playoff run.

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Technically this is a road game for the Texans. However, rather than playing before the rabid Raiders fans in Oakland the teams tee it up at altitude in Mexico City. It’s anyone’s guess which team will be more impacted by the thin air but almost certainly the Raiders lose the crowd noise advantage they would enjoy in Oakland.

That said, few believe that crowd noise will decide the outcome of this game. The words “Oakland” and “Super Bowl” appear in the same sentence more and more frequently. “Houston” and “Super Bowl” are linked only because the City of Houston hosts this season’s big game.

Nov 6, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) reacts after the Raiders rushed for a touchdown against the Denver Broncos in the fourth quarter at Oakland Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Broncos 30-20. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The Raiders have an explosive passing game. The Texans don’t. Not much more need be said.

This week there are many words written in Houston media about Derek Carr, the Texan that wasn’t, rising star receiver Amari Cooper, established pro Michael Crabtree and the remainder of the Raider offensive contingent. The same is true for the Khalil Mack, Jadeveon Clowney comparisons. My comments would only add redundancy to the oft-discussed “what ifs”, so let’s skip them.

Statistically the Texans defense is good and the offense stinks (“stinks” is a technical term used when a team passes 27 times and only gains 99 yards). The Raiders have a good offense and a statistically poor defense. If statistics told the whole story this would be an interesting game of match-ups where each teams strength pairs against the other’s weakness.

Alas, statistics sometimes lie. The Raiders have a very talented defense that inexplicably floundered early in the season. However, the defense has come together in the last several games, while the Texans offense has not. That’s the match-up that decides the game. The Raiders offense is so good that it will score points against the Texans strong defense. The Texans offense won’t reciprocate.

Give the points and take the under. Raiders win 31-13.

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