Online sports betting sites favor the Houston Texans to beat the Indianapolis Colts by 2 points at the AFC Wild Card Playoffs. Houston finally left the Brock Osweiler-style experiments behind. A healthy Deshaun Watson led the Texans to an 11-5 SU and 7-8-1 ATS record. And their first AFC South title since 2016. Similarly, Indy’s once and future QB Andrew Luck had a comeback for the ages. As a result, the Colts finished 10-6 SU and 8-7-1 ATS for second place in the AFC South. Behind none other than the Texans. That means this will be the third meeting between these two teams this season. Houston hit first, 37-34 in Week 4. According to the best online sportsbooks, the Texans were one-point home dogs. Indy retaliated 24-21 as four-point road dogs in Week 13. Lady Luck – or should that be Lord Luck – has favored the underdog in this matchup this season.
Betting Indianapolis
Luck’s return luckily coincided with guard Quenton Nelson’s rookie season. Nelson upgraded an offensive line than went from allowing 3.5 sacks per game to just 1.1. However, even with Luck not having missed a beat, the Colts’ offense struggled early. That was mostly due to Marlon Mack missing four of the first five games. Once he gained continuity, the running back finished the season with 934 yards and nine TDs.
Online sports betting sites favor the Texans. Nonetheless, Luck will be the game changer, according to Dave Blezow of the New York Post. “Andrew Luck looks to be more of a sure thing than Deshaun Watson right now,” he writes. “And though both of these teams struggled to beat the New York teams in December, the one recent game that stands out is the Colts’ 23-0 victory over the playoff-bound Cowboys.”
Betting Houston
The Texans play their best at home. And they have their defense to thank for that. Houston is No. 5 in scoring defense (19.8 points allowed per game). And No. 3 in rush defense (82.7 in rushing yards allowed per game). The latter does not bode well for the aforementioned Mack. The returning JJ Watt lead the NFL in forced fumbles (7) and sacked opposing QBs 16 times.
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans – Wild Card Betting Preview
- Date: January 5, 2019
- Time: 4:35 p.m. EST
- Venue: NRG Stadium
Odds from MyBookie.ag:
- Indianapolis Colts +2 (-110) 48½ (-105) +110
- Houston Texans -2 (-110) 48½ (-115) -130
Betting Trends
- Colts are 3-10-1 ATS in their last 14 games after scoring more than 30 points in their previous game
- Indianapolis is 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 games after accumulating more than 150 yards rushing in their previous game
- Colts are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up win of more than 14 points
- Texans are 5-12-1 ATS in their last 18 games after allowing less than 90 yards rushing in their previous game
- Houston is 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 Saturday games
- Texans are 1-5 ATS vs. a team with a winning record
Our Game Prediction: Should users of online sports betting sites fade the Texans? Elementary, my dear (Deshaun) Watson. The Colts are 9-1 SU and 6-3-1 ATS in their last 10 games. Indy is also 3-1 SU and ATS in their last four encounters with the Texans. Houston allowed just 17.0 points per game at home this season. But they also allowed the Colts 24 in their previous meeting. Watson is the QB for whom Houston has been looking for a long time. On the other hand, though, Luck has been making up for lost time. All things considered, the underdog should be the favorite on this one.
