The New Orleans Saints will have to wait for another week before a highly anticipated rematch with the Los Angeles Rams. Before that, they will be facing the Houston Texans at home for an intriguing matchup of defending champions of their respective divisions. The Texans are +180 to win the AFC South, while the Saints are -160 to win the NFC South.
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Betting Preview for the Houston Texans vs New Orleans Saints NFL Regular Season Week 1 Game on September 9, 2019
Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans
When: Monday, September 9, 2019, 7:10 PM ET
Line: Houston Texans (+7) vs. New Orleans Saints (-7) – view all 2019 NFL lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Houston Texans (0-0)
The Texans are hoping that their offensive line this time around will be more useful to quarterback Deshaun Watson than it was last season when Houston placed last in the league with a total of 62 sacks allowed. Even with that horrendous pass protection, Watson was able to put up 4,165 passing yards and 26 passing touchdowns with nine interceptions, while also leading his team to an AFC South title. Over the offseason, Houston inked offensive tackle Matt Kalil and spend draft picks on rookie tackles Tytus Howard and Max Scharping. With an improved offensive line, Watson should be able to do more in the pocket this season, beginning with the matchup with the Saints, which had a letdown pass defense in 2018 wherein they allowed 266.9 points per game. That sounds like a free meal for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, arguably the best in his position today. The Texans will also be brandishing a new pair of quarterbacks in Cleveland Browns transplants Duke Johnson and Carlos Hyde.
The Texans are 7-3 straight up (SU) and 5-3-2 against the spread (ATS) in their last 10 games.
Betting on the New Orleans Saints (0-0)
The Saints will be making their first steps in the new season towards their recovery from a painful and hugely controversial loss to the Los Angeles Rams in last season’s NFC title game. What’s important is that they still got Drew Brees, who threw for 3,992 yards and had 32 passing touchdowns against just five interceptions. He had a quarterback rating of 79.2, second-best lats season. The backfield lost Mark Ingram, but Latavius Murray came over the offseason to be Alvin Kamara’s backup. Kamara and wide receiver Michael Thomas form the Big Three for the Saints, who were third last season in the NFL with 30.4 points per game. Defensively, the Saints’ secondary is aching to rebound from a disappointing 2018, but the defensive line should still be great. Cameron Jordan, Sheldon Rankins, Alex Okafor, and Marcus Davenport are all going to be tough tests for the Texans’ reconfigured offensive line. The Saints were second against the run and fifth in sacks last year.
The under is 2-0 in the Saints’ last two home games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Saints win, 29-23.
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