Will you be watching the game between Philadelphia and Houston on Thursday? Yes, we realize that there’s some confusion about that. So while the Phillies have a little anxiety after having a no-hitter thrown at them on Wednesday in the World Series, the Eagles will try to stay undefeated as they meet up with the Houston Texans in a game that begins at 8:20 p.m. Eastern time at NRG Stadium.
That’s in Houston, by the way. So there won’t be as much of a traffic problem. The Texans are coming off a 17-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans, in which they had to score a touchdown with 17 seconds left to make the game that closes. They just didn’t generate anything on offense, with 161 yards and ten first downs.
The reliable guy for them this season did almost nothing. Dameon Pierce, an impressive rookie out of the University of Florida, had only 35 yards on the ground.
Meanwhile, the Texans’ defense was up to what it is usually up to, which is being very passive at stopping the run. Ryan Tannehill, the quarterback, was out of action with an injury, but Derrick Henry took matters into his own hands with 219 yards, which made him look like his old self.
And now, what is very unfortunate for them is that the Eagles come in with a ground attack that is no less formidable than it was last season when they led the NFL in rushing. It’s just that there’s another dimension to it, as they can throw the ball with a lot of authority.
In the Thursday on the NFL betting odds posted on this game by the folks at BetOnline, the Eagles are playing many points on the road.
Philadelphia Eagles – 13 (- 116)
Houston Texans + 13 ( – 104)
Over 45 points -108
Under 45 points – 112
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How bad are the Texans at stopping the run? Well, they have allowed 5.6 yards per carry, and nothing more needs to be said.
Except that opponents are very tuned into this, and they have run the ball an average of 33.4 times per game against the Houston defense. That’s a 49.8% rate, which is the third highest in the league. Since Philadelphia runs the ball 35 times per game – second in the NFL – this is a pretty good match.
Last week Jalen Hurts threw for 285 yards, and three touchdown passes went to AJ Brown, the offseason acquisition, who had 156 yards overall. Hurts is also heavily tuned into tight end Dallas Goebert, who had 64 yards. Overall, Hertz is averaging 8.5 yards per attempt, which is second-best in pro football. This had affected the odds at NFL betting sites.
It kind of goes without saying that Houston, which converts only 31.9% of its third downs and scores only 16.6 points per game overall, it’s going to have a hard time trading points. And we say that is particularly true in the first half, as Philadelphia has averaged 21 points per game in the first 30 minutes. Think about that for a second; the Eagles score more points in the first half than Houston does in the entire game.
The best formula for the Texans here would generally be to shorten the game, which means taking advantage of a Philadelphia defense that has sometimes been soft up front against the run. So what we are likely to see is Davis Mills and his teammates trying to put together drives that run the clock and keep the ball out of the hands of Hurts. But if they fall behind early, they may have no choice but to take to the air, and Philly is double tough there, yielding just 4.8 yards per attempt.
This may get dreary in the second half, but it will be less dreary for you if you take the UNDER.
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