Browns vs. Texans Point Spread: NFL Week 16 Odds, Prediction
Entering this season you could’ve found Houston’s win total anywhere from five to seven; Cleveland’s hovered around nine — but they can still reach 12.
And this week’s not even shaping up as a battle of the past (Deshaun Watson) and the future (C.J. Stroud) when it comes to Houston quarterbacks. It’s shaping up to be a battle of Browns hero Joe Flacco and Case Keenum for Houston as Stroud remains sidelined with a concussion. Keenum took over last week for the Texans and led them to a 19-16 overtime win at Tennessee. Some late Flacco heroics got Cleveland a 20-17 win over Chicago.
Kickoff at NRG Stadium starts at 1 p.m. EST with the Browns entering as a -140 moneyline favourite on the road and the over-under at 39.5 on the NFL odds.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The splits point toward backing the Texans at home in this tilt. Houston is 5-2 outright on home field this season, while the Browns are 2-4 and 1-4-1 against the spread. And while the over is a perfect 6-0 in Browns road games this year, in six of their last seven trips to Houston it’s the under that has hit.
Five of the Texans last six home games have gone under the total too. The play of Houston’s defence has at times gone under the radar. Aside from a shootout with Tampa Bay at the start of November, the Texans have allowed over 20 points in just one of their last five home games. Houston also owns the fourth-best turnover differential this season at +8, which is something that’s played a large role in their turnaround this season.
Cleveland Browns
Joe Flacco’s now thrown for 300 yards in back-to-backs wins for the Browns, and 212 of his 374 passing yards came in the fourth quarter last weekend. Flacco hit Amari Cooper for an improbable 51-yard touchdown to tie the game against Chicago, and led a game-winning drive moments later.
But things get even more random when it comes to Flacco and tight end David Njoku, one of the NFL’s most lethal duos at the moment. Flacco’s targeted his starting tight end 28 times these past three games and Njoku’s gone 195 yards and three scores these past two weeks.
Cleveland’s been extremely injured all season and it’s not getting better. Guard Wyatt Teller ended Sunday as the only healthy starter on the offensive line, but nearly every positional group is feeling the pain in Cleveland.
Houston Texans
Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud will miss a second straight game with his concussion per sources, leaving journeyman Case Keenum as the next man up again. Last week Keenum did just about everything you can hope for in a backup spot, passing for 229 yards and throwing one touchdown and one interception. Instead the Texans relied on starting running back Devin Singletary, who went off for 170 yards on 30 touches.
And with their top two receivers out in Nico Collins (calf) and Tank Dell (fibula; season-ending), Keenum went to the next-best option in Noah Brown early and often. Brown led Houston last week with eight grabs for 82 yards and a score. Collins could go this week, so it’s best to check up with the Texans injury reports as the week progresses.
CLE
HOU