Texans open as favorites at home against Buccaneers in Week 9

Did…did they not watch earlier today?

I don’t want to talk about it. But the more I’ve been thinking about the game, the more I think maybe we just got a little ahead of ourselves after the back-to-back drubbings of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Now that we have seven games under our collective belt, it appears the Houston Texans are streaky. They’re better as a whole, but obviously nowhere near being a threat to the AFC as a whole.

The Texans might still contend for the AFC South, but, as ever, that’s more of an indictment of the division as a whole rather than the competence of the Texans.

They’re still learning a new system, building cohesion and, in many cases, just getting adjusted to NFL speed.

I still think they can finish with a winning record, though I’m hesitant now to pin anything down because my guesses are pretty commonly wrong.

But who knows, maybe by the season’s end they’ll finally put it all together and prove me wrong once again.

To my surprise, the Texans have opened as favorites again at DraftKings Sportsbook, though only slightly, at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After today’s game, and the way the Bucs played on Thursday night against the Buffalo Bills, I would have thought the Texans wouldn’t get that generous an opening line.

Opening Odds for Week 9

Points

FAVORED: Houston Texans (-2)
UNDERDOG: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+2)

Note: For those of you who aren’t aware of the meaning, the points are a handicap system. So in this case, imagine the game and before the kickoff even happens, someone has spotted the Buccaneers 2 points.

So basically a point line, in this case, is giving the Buccaneers a 2-0 head start. And the Texans have to win by at least three points to beat the spread. If they beat them by less than two points, the Buccaneers win the bet. Since the spread is a whole number, if the Buccaneers lose by two in the game, the bet would end with a push (or draw).

Over/Under: 38.5

Note: This one is pretty straightforward. You decide whether you think the total combined score will be more or less than 38.5 points.

Moneyline:

Houston Texans (-130)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+110)

Note: This one is a little more complicated. The best way to imagine it is if you have $100 to bet initially. If you bet your $100 on the Buccaneers and they win the game, you get $210 (your initial $100, plus the $110 from the win). If you take the Texans moneyline, you have to bet $130 to win $100 for a total of $230 ($130 initial bet, plus the $100 you get from the win).

For entertainment purposes only. Please do not take financial advice from a football blog.

Go Texans.