Texans vs. Ravens Point Spread: NFL Week 1 Odds, Prediction
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Edgar Chaput
The Houston Texans recently named 2023 first-round draft pick C.J. Stroud their starting quarterback. New head coach DeMeco Ryans will guide his side against a Baltimore Ravens team looking to find the form it had just a few seasons ago when it terrorized the league.
The NFL odds have put a lot of chalk down for the host Ravens, who are pegged as -10.0 favourites. As for the total, it’s currently set at 43.5.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
This is a series that John Harbaugh’s Ravens dominate, having won eight of the last ten meetings. The last time Houston tasted victory against Baltimore was in December 2014. Neither of the Texans’ two wins have come in Baltimore.
2022 was a rough campaign for the Texans, who crashed and burned to a 3-13-1 tally. On the flip side, they were a surprisingly trustworthy club against the spread, finishing 8-8-1. Four of their covers came when tagged as the underdog. Then again, multiple times the oddsmakers tagged them with spreads as high as this week’s, if not worse. Being a +10.0 underdog should fuel any team with a bit of fire.
Baltimore season was superior, completing the regular campaign with a 10-7 mark. Furthermore, they did so without the services of Lamar Jackson late in the calendar, who was out due to injury. It didn’t prevent them from earning a playoff berth, but they were bounced out in the Wild Card round by the Bengals. Against the spread, Baltimore went 6-9-2, one of few teams with more than one push. Being pinned as a favourite didn’t help much, as the Ravens went 4-8 in those instances.
Houston Texans
There is only so much that can be expected from a club that was as bad as the Texans a year ago and heads into battle with an untested quarterback. Houston wasn’t very good on offence, nor on defence, so offseason changes were on the agenda.
Regarding teammates Stroud can target downfield, Robert Woods arrives from Tennessee (although it was a forgettable 2022 for him), and TE Dalton Schultz was signed from Dallas. WR Nico Hollins looks to make a leap after back-to-back seasons for which his playtime was limited. On the other side of the ball, Houston begins the season with some issues. LBs Christian Harris, Blake Cashman, and safety Jimmie Ward are all listed as questionable for Week 1. Under any other circumstances, this would put a lot of pressure on a QB, but with first-year signal-caller C.J. Stroud, the Texans will take things week by week.
Baltimore Ravens
We mentioned in our NFC North division preview that 2019 was a long time ago. We quoted that season because it was when the Ravens bulldozed their way to a stellar 14-2 record and Lamar Jackson was a unanimous MVP.
Since then, the team has either underperformed or been obliterated by injuries. Can John Harbaugh manufacture another campaign like 2019? Obviously, Lamar Jackson needs to stay healthy. He didn’t finish 2022 and got injured in a January 2021 Divisional Round game against the Bills. With his rewards apparently come great risks. Odell Beckham Jr. begins a new chapter of his career in Baltimore, although he hasn’t played in a year and a half. Blanket TE Mark Andrews is listed as questionable. The secondary was poor last season, so a lot of pressure will be on that group to pick up some slack. They could have a relatively easy time in Week 1 given Stroud’s inexperience.
HOU
BAL