The Houston Texans need just a win – or a loss by any of the Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, or Tennessee Titans – to lock up a spot in the playoffs. That’s their mission in Week 16 against a team that’s suddenly became dangerous again in the form of the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles have Nick Foles under center in lieu of injured quarterback Carson Wentz, and though he’s just a backup, we’ve all seen what happened to Philadelphia’s fortunes when Foles took over as the starter last season. The Eagles are +14,000 defend their title and win Super Bowl 53.
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Betting Preview for the Houston Texans vs Philadelphia Eagles NFL Week 16 Game on December 23, 2018
Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
When: Sunday, December 23, 2018, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Houston Texans (+2) vs Philadelphia Eagles (-2) – view all 2018 NFL lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
Betting on the Houston Texans (10-4)
The Texans saw their nine-game winning streak hit the end of the road in Week 14 in a loss to the Indianapolis Colts at home, but they rebounded nicely last Saturday by beating the New York Jets in East Rutherford, 29-22. Quarterback Deshaun Watson commandeered the Texans’ offense well, passing for 294 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions on 22-of-28 completions. He also paced the Texans’ ground game with 26 rushing yards on four carries. The Texans ran into a bad break in that contest, as they had starting running back Lamar Miller miss the entire second half due to an ankle injury, though, it’s been reported by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network that it’s nothing serious. His status of the Eagles game is currently up in the air, but if he can’t go, the Texans will partly cover for his absence by adding some workload to talented wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. The 26-year-old Clemson product was sensational in the Jets game with 170 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 10 receptions.
The Texans are 3-1-1 ATS in their last five road games.
Betting on the Philadelphia Eagles (7-7)
The Texans have the pair of J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney, who have 14.5 and 8.0 sacks this season, but the Eagles can give Houston a taste of its own medicine. In the Texans’ win over the Jets, Watson got sacked six times for a loss of 55 yards. Look for Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham to be aggressive early in the game as they try to help Philly set the tone by getting to Watson early. The Eagles have 26.0 sacks on the season. Now, let’s talk about the player we’re not going to let go unmentioned in this brief preview: Nick Foles. The Super Bowl-winning quarterback was effective in last week’s 30-23 upset road win over the Los Angeles Rams. Foles passed for 270 yards against the Rams on 24-of-31 completions. While he didn’t throw a touchdown and got intercepted once, he did a good job of setting his team for scoring opportunities, particularly for the team’s backfield. Wendell Smallwood scored two touchdowns on 10 carries, while Josh Adams had a touchdown and 28 rushing yards on 15 carries.
The under is 6-1 in their last seven home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Houston wins, 24-21.
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