Saints vs. Texans Point Spread: NFL Week 6 Odds, Prediction
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Edgar Chaput
A convincing 34-0 win in England over the Patriots set the New Orleans Saints back on track, reminding everyone how good their defence can be. The Houston Texans experienced some growing pains in Atlanta against the Falcons, playing the hosts tough but ultimately falling 21-19.
This is the definition of a pick’em match, with the visiting Saints currently set as slim -1.5 favourites on the NFL odds.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
New Orleans versus Houston is not a popular game on the NFL schedule. It only happens once every four years, so historical head-to-head comparisons won’t be especially revealing. For those taking score of the nitty-gritty details, the last four meetings were split, with the home side earning the spoils each time.
New Orleans’ relative success on the field has not translated well to how things turn out against the spread. Their 3-2 outright tally keeps them in the hunt for the NFC South, but betters are dubious about the club’s 1-3-1 effort ATS. More concerning perhaps is that the Saints have been favoured four times already. In an ironic twist, their only cover was in New England last week when they were a slight underdog.
A season that started on rocky waters is beginning to heat up. We don’t only mean that a 0-2 start in the division has improved to 2-3. Nay, the Texans failed to cover their first two spreads but have been successful thrice in a row, including in last week’s defeat to the Falcons. Being an underdog has served them well so far, as they’re 3-1 when pinned as such.
New Orleans Saints
Was New Orleans that good in Week 5 or are Bill Belichick’s issues in New England this season even greater than we imagined? The rest of the season will determine the answer. Whatever the case, the Saints marched all over the Patriots in Foxborough, 34-0.
Seeing an improved and healthier Derek Carr surely was cause for optimism among supporters. It wasn’t a great day, but 18-for-26, 183 yards and two TD passes assuaged some worry regarding the previous outing. The story of the game, at least from the winning perspective, was the dominant defence. New Orleans limited the Patriots to only 156 total yards, eight first downs, and a woeful 1-for-14 third down efficiency. Alontae Taylor and Demario Davis led the charge with six tackles each, and Pro Bowl safety Tyrann Mathieu returned an errant Mac Jones pass to the house in the first quarter that got the party started. This was never a contest, but one assumes that Houston will pose a greater threat.
TE Juwan Johnson and CB Lonnie Johnson Jr. are questionable.
Houston Texans
Even in defeat a club and a good head coach can extrapolate positive notes. It certainly wasn’t a perfect day at the office, but this was a case of a young team learning and being given an opportunity to grow from a closely contested defeat.
The biggest issue in the 21-19 loss to the Falcons was that too many drives stalled. Houston’s first four scores of the match were all Ka’imi Fairbairn field goals. The Falcons, on the other hand, were scoring touchdowns. C.J. Stroud continues to make strides. Going 20-for-35 isn’t the most impressive stat, but many of his 249 yards got the team in scoring position and the late fourth-quarter TD pass to TE Dalton Schultz was an example of his readiness to perform under pressure. The only problem was it gave the Falcons just enough time on the clock to kick a last-second field goal which decided the outcome. Stroud is now third in the NFL in total passing yards. Wild for a first-year player on a team no one expected much from.
WR Noah Brown is on IR. CB Shaquill Griffin is questionable.