Houston at New England Expert Pick & Betting Odds

Posted by Jordan Walterss on Tuesday,September 20, 2016 7:53, EDT in

The New England Patriots remain Super Bowl favorites on MyBookie NFL odds, but the Patriots are rare home underdogs on Thursday night football this week as they host the Houston Texans. New England will be down to third-string quarterback Jacoby Brissett, a rookie third-round pick out of NC State.

Here’s a Sneak Peek at the Houston at New England Expert Pick, Betting Odds & TV Info

When: Thursday, Sept. 22, 8:30 PM ET
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro
TV: CBS
Stream: CBSsports.com
Radio: Houston / New England
Opening NFL Lines: Texans -2 (41)

Why Bet on Houston?

The Texans (2-0) lost twice to the Kansas City Chiefs last year, including a 30-0 embarrassment at home in the wild-card game. But Houston got payback on Sunday with a 19-12 win. DeAndre Hopkins had 113 yards receiving and a touchdown and Nick Novak kicked four field goals to help the Texans to the victory. New Houston quarterback Brock Osweiler did throw two interceptions but the Chiefs had more trouble taking care of the ball, with Houston’s defense setting a franchise record by recovering three fumbles in the first half. Osweiler finished the game 19-of- 33 for 268 yards with a touchdown.

Last season in eight games with the Denver Broncos, Osweiler threw 10 touchdowns and six interceptions. Though he has three interceptions in two games this season, Texans head coach Bill O’Brien said he is not concerned.

“I think I have to do a better job of coaching him just on some of the things that we’re looking at from a defensive standpoint,” O’Brien said. “I know that he’s going to work hard not to do that. I’m not concerned about that at all.”

Will Fuller caught 4-of- 7 targets for 104 yards in the win. With his second 100-yard game in as many weeks, Fuller became just the second receiver in NFL history to record 100 receiving yards in each of his first two NFL games. Lamar Miller carried the ball 25 times for 83 yards while adding two catches for 14 yards against the Chiefs. In Week 1 against Chicago, the Texans had 35 rushing attempts and 35 pass attempts. Against  the Chiefs, Houston was again extremely balanced on offense, finishing with 34 rushesand 33 passes.

Defensive end J.J. Watt, who is playing in his second game back after two offseason surgeries, had his first sack and fumble recovery of the season against Kansas City, finishing with 1.5 sacks, five combined tackles and two quarterback hits.

Why Bet on New England?

The Patriots (2-0) beat Miami 31-24 on Sunday but lost starting QB Jimmy Garoppolo to a shoulder injury. Of course the team is without usual starter Tom Brady the first four games due to suspension. Garoppolo’s injury came on third down with less than five minutes left in the first half. He was chased out of the pocket and got off a completion to Malcolm Mitchell and driven into the ground on his shoulder by Miami linebacker Kiko Alonso. Garoppolo initially got up, before going down to one knee and being attended to by the training staff. He ended his day 18 of 27 for 234 yards and three touchdowns.

Brissett led New England to a touchdown on its first possession of the second half. Brissett was 6 of 9 for 92 yards overall. LeGarrette Blount rushed 29 times for 123 yards and a touchdown. Martellus Bennett also had five catches 114 and a touchdown. Danny Amendola caught 4-of- 4 targets for 50 yards and two touchdowns.

Garoppolo is expected to miss 3-4 weeks with a sprained AC joint. The Pats aren’t planning to add a veteran QB before this game to back up Brissett. Part of the Patriots’ thinking could be that there simply isn’t enough time to get a quarterback up to speed on such a quick turnaround. Garoppolo could still dress for the game as a No. 2 emergency option and run a limited portion of the offense if needed. Julian Edelman, who played quarterback at Kent State before switching to receiver when the Patriots drafted him in 2009, would likely be the other emergency option.

Brissett went 237-of- 395 passing for 2,662 yards and 20 touchdowns with six interceptions as a senior at NC State, when he also had 139 rushing attempts for 370 yards with six scores. Brissett, 23, was mentored by former Patriots head coach Bill Parcells in high school. Parcells compared Brissett to some Patriots all-time greats after the draft.

The Patriots will be playing on Thursday for the 16th time in team history and enter this week with six straight wins when playing on Thursday. The Patriots and Texans will meet for the seventh time in the regular season and for the eighth time overall since Houston entered the NFL in 2002. The Patriots and Texans met last season in a Sunday Night Football game in Houston, with the Patriots pulling out a 27-6 victory on Dec. 13, 2015.

The Patriots’ only loss against Houston was in the final game of the 2009 regular-season when Houston defeated the Patriots 34-27. The Patriots had already clinched the division prior to that game and Brady was relieved for portions of that game by then backup QB Brian Hoyer.

My Expert Pick

Tough to go against New England getting points at home but I can’t see Brissett doing much against that excellent Houston defense. Go Texans in NFL betting.