Falcons minus $1.25 hosting Texans
I’m selling high on the Texans, who are coming off back-to-back blowout victories against the Steelers and Jaguars. No doubt the Texans are improved. DeMeco Ryans and C.J. Stroud are off to promising starts.
But I don’t see them beating an improved Atlanta team on the road. You have to go back to 2018 to find the last time Houston won three in a row.
The Texans have been able to escape the reality of dealing with a depleted offensive line. Perhaps the backups aren’t that much worse than the starters with the exception of star left tackle Laremy Tunsil, who has missed the past three games with a knee injury. It’s going to catch up to the Texans and I expect that to occur here in Houston’s first dome game of the season where the loud crowd noise will be especially bothersome.
The Falcons greatly upgrade their defensive line and secondary, which consists of Jeff Okudah, A.J. Terrell, safeties Jessie Bates and Richie Grant. That’s a solid defensive backfield.
I’m not a Desmond Ridder fan by any means. However, he’s 4-0 as a starter in home games, accounting for six touchdowns. Ridder can rely on dynamic rookie Bijan Robinson, who already has emerged as a top-three all-purpose running back. Robinson is averaging 6.0 yards per carry and is a receiving threat. The Texans rank 19th in run defense.
Back for the Falcons is Cordarrelle Patterson, a gadget player on offense and one of the premier kick returning threats in the NFL.
The Falcons won’t lack motivation returning home after consecutive losses, while the Texans are sitting fat and happy.
(Editor’s note: Stephen Nover is beating the NFL for the 26th time in 31 seasons going 20-11-2 for 64 percent this year. Stephen has five premium NFL Sunday plays in addition to this free selection, including his Non-Conference Game of the Month and Total of the Week. If you are interested in Stephen’s sports service please email him at scriber26@gmail.com, or message him via X (Twitter).)
