The New England Patriots are heavy favorites at the best sportsbooks against the Houston Texans on Saturday in NFL Divisional Playoff betting action on CBS. The Texans are coming off a win last week in the Wild Card game against Oakland while the Patriots had a bye. Not many people think that Houston can stay close to the Patriots on Saturday as New England is more than a two-touchdown favorite. Let’s look at the game and NFL Playoff picks.
NFL Playoff Odds at Sports Betting Sites
New England -15.5, total 44
Houston at New England
The Texans will have to overcome a lot of history if they are to win this game on Saturday night. The Texans have never won a playoff game in the divisional round and the Texans have lost the last five meetings against Houston. It has been ugly when these teams meet as the Patriots have outscored the Texans by a combined 171-79 and in the last two meetings it is New England winning by a combined margin of 54-6.
The best sportsbooks numbers for New England are fantastic in the playoffs as they are 10-2 in the divisional round under Bill Belichick with Tom Brady at quarterback. The teams met earlier this season and it was New England winning 27-0 with third string quarterback Jacoby Brissett under center.
Houston doesn’t have much of an offense as they are counting on Brock Osweiler at quarterback .The Texans will try and get the ball to wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins but the Patriots will likely take him away. It seems unlikely that Osweiler can find his other receivers and avoid making mistakes. Houston scored just over 17 points per game this season while giving up about 20 per contest. The Texans were 2-6 ATS on the road this season with five of the eight going under the total. Houston scored just 279 points this season which is the fewest points scored play a playoff team since the Bears in 2005 who scored just 260.
The Patriots feature an offense that averages just over 27 points per game led by Brady. New England also has an excellent defense that doesn’t get the press of the offense. The Patriots were 1st in the NFL in fewest points allowed as they gave up just over 15 points per contest. The Patriots were 6-2 ATS at home with four games going over and four going under.
Texans vs. Patriots Odds
The Texans are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 meetings at New England. The Texans are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 vs. the AFC. The Texans are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 road games. The Patriots are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 vs. the AFC. The Patriots are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Divisional Playoffs games. The Patriots are 24-9-2 ATS in their last 35 home games.
The Under is 5-2 in the Texans last 7 games overall. The Under is 5-2 in the Texans last 7 games in January. The Over is 4-0 in the Patriots last 4 playoff home games. The Over is 12-5 in the Patriots last 17 games in January. The Over is 6-2 at sports betting online sites in the last 8 meetings in this series.
NFL Playoff Picks
How are the Texans going to score with Osweiler leading them? This line is very high but it is hard to make any case for Houston. We’ll lay the points at sports betting sites USA and take the Patriots and also play the game under the total at MyBookie sportsbook.
