Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans, LP Field, Nashville, TN
Sunday, December 19, 2010, 1:00 pm EST, TV: CBS
Opening Line: Titans -1
Current Line: Titans -1
Opening Total: 48
Current Total: 47
Money Line: Titans -125 / Texans +105
Neither the Houston Texans (5-8) nor the Tennessee Titans (5-8) have much to play for besides pride at this point of the season, but both AFC South teams should at least be fired up to face each other again after what happened in the first meeting between them. Houston wide receiver Andre Johnson got into a fight with Tennessee cornerback Cortland Finnegan in a 20-0 win for the Texans three weeks ago, which was the fourth loss for the Titans (-1) during a current six-game skid.
Johnson and Finnegan were both fined $25,000 for their actions but not suspended, and their matchup will be under the spotlight again here in the second meeting. Johnson made nine catches for 56 yards and scored a touchdown in the first meeting, but his team also took advantage of Tennessee rookie quarterback Rusty Smith’s three interceptions en route to the shutout. That victory is the only one for the Texans in their last seven games.
Houston has enjoyed leads in each of the last five losses, with the team’s poor defense playing a major role in deciding them. The Texans spotted Baltimore a 28-7 lead before roaring back to tie the game in the final seconds, and then quarterback Matt Schaub threw an interception for a touchdown in overtime that gave the Ravens a 34-28 win and covered the 3-point spread.
Schaub passed for 393 yards against Baltimore with three touchdowns and two interceptions, and he has thrown a pick in six of the team’s eight losses this season. He threw for 178 yards in the last meeting with Tennessee while running back Arian Foster proved to be a dangerous weapon running and catching the ball. Foster rushed for 143 yards on 30 carries and caught eight passes for 75 yards yet was somehow kept out of the end zone.
The Titans are coming off a surprising back-door cover in a 30-28 home loss to Indianapolis last week, scoring a touchdown on the game’s final play. They trailed the Colts 21-0 late in the second quarter before running back Chris Johnson scored a touchdown with 49 seconds remaining that seemingly turned the tide of the game from a betting perspective. Tennessee quarterback Kerry Collins connected on a 7-yard touchdown pass to Craig Stevens with 11:09 left in the third quarter, and his team’s defense limited Indy to three field goals in the second half.
That is the only cover for the Titans during their six-game losing streak and also snapped a three-game streak of UNDERs cashing after three consecutive OVERs. Tennessee is 1-3 straight-up and against the spread in the last four meetings with Houston with the UNDER going 3-1.
Now that you have read this football betting preview featuring the Titans & Texans, check out the NFL odds on this and all the games to compare the best lines at multiple sportsbooks.
