The Houston Texans are on a roll. They’ve won their past four games with an aggregate score of 78-35 and have kept in step in their division race. Up next on their schedule is an impending date with the Buffalo Bills, who have lost their last two, at Ralph Wilson Stadium this coming Sunday afternoon. Will the Texans continue winning? Or Will the Bills extinguish their flame?
Read on below for a comprehensive breakdown of this AFC battle. And while you’re at it, check out our other Week 13 previews: Eagles at Patriots and Cowboys at Redskins.
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Houston Texans vs. Buffalo Bills Preview
Where: Ralph Wilson Stadium, Buffalo
When: Sunday, December 6, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Houston Texans (+3) at Buffalo Bills (-3); total: 41.5 – view all NFL lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
Betting on the Houston Texans (6-5)
If you’re feeling a bit hot right now, it’s probably because of the Houston Texans.
The Texans delivered an all-around performance on Sunday, defeating the New Orleans Saints with the final score of 24-6. That victory marked the Texans’ fourth-straight win and kept them tied with the Indianapolis Colts for the No.1 spot in the AFC South.
[sc:NFL240banner ]From the get go, the Texans showed no mercy on both sides of the ball. They held a 14-0 advantage by the end of the first quarter and eventually pulled away with 10 unanswered points to cap off the third quarter while forcing the Saints to finish a game without a single touchdown for the first time in 155 games.
A testament to Houston’s success was quarterback Brian Hoyer. Hoyer, who completed 21 of his 27 passes for 207 yards, went a perfect 7-for-7 on the opening drive and connected with the pair of Ryan Griffin and Cecil Shorts III for his two touchdowns in the game. He’ll look to sustain this momentum when they go on the road to lock horns with the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
The Texans, who are 2-3 SU and ATS on the road this year, will need to provide the same level of intensity on defense if they hope to extend their winning streak to five games. Specifically, their front seven ought to stand firm and hold off Buffalo’s formidable rushing game (136. 7 yard per contest) from easily breaking through.
Over on offense, Hoyer needs to continue feeding the pair of Griffin and WR DeAndre Hopkins, who’ll both be trying to dissect a shaky Bills secondary (253.9 passing yards allowed per game).
Griffin had his best game of the year against the Saints, catching 4-of-5 targets for 72 yards. Hopkins, meanwhile, only finished with a season-low of 36 yards on five receptions in the same matchup. But he still leads the Texans with 1,045 receiving yard and nine touchdowns through 11 games.
Buffalo suffered its second-straight defeat on Sunday, losing to the Chiefs, 30-22. They were overwhelmed by the efforts of Alex Smith, who converted 19 of his 30 passes for 255 yards and a pair of scores. As a result, the Bills have fallen to 5-6 on the season and hold the third spot in their division.
This setback was really a tough one to digest since the Bills actually started the game well. They had the lead entering the second half and then only managed to score six points from that point on. But what’s done is done and Buffalo should already focus on its next game versus the red-hot Houston Texans.
All eyes are going to be on QB Tyrod Taylor to carry his team to victory. Taylor, who threw for 291 yards with three TDs versus Kansas City, will hope that his efforts won’t go to waste this time around and will definitely be relying on WR Sammy Watkins and RB LeSean McCoy to help him do so.
Watkins currently leads the team with 526 yards receiving and is fresh off his second-best performance this season with 158 yards on six catches last Sunday. McCoy, on the other hand, owns a team-high of 680 yards rushing with three scores.
But the Bills, who are 3-4 SU and 2-5 ATS overall opposite the Texans, will really have to work for their points in this one as they’ll be facing one of best defenses in the league. Houston is only yielding 327.1 yards of total offense, which is sixth-lowest this season.
Writer’s Prediction
Houston makes it five in a row with an entertaining 27-17 win. Create a betting account now and cash in on these red-hot Texans for the upcoming week!
