NFL Picks Against the Spread Week 5: Oakland Raiders vs. Houston Texans

Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans
Sunday, 10/9/11, 1:00 PM EST, TV: CBS
Opening Point Spread: Houston -5.5
Current Betting Line: Houston -5
Opening Total: 49
Current Total: 48.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

The Oakland Raiders will be dealing with the death of owner Al Davis Sunday in Houston

Oakland travels to Houston to take on the Texans inside Reliant Stadium and all the talk surrounding the game will be focused on the passing of Raiders iconic owner Al Davis. “We’re going to do everything we can to get in the playoffs and go challenge for a Super Bowl. I am not backing down from that,” commented Raiders first-year head coach Hue Jackson. The Raiders defense will have to prepare for Texans running back Arian Foster, who ran for 155 yards on 30 carries last week. Oakland doesn’t have a bad running game either, leading the league, helping the team rank seventh in scoring offense. Over the last two-plus seasons, the team is 10-8 ATS on the road, while the ‘under’ is 9-8 in those contests.

The Raiders gained a season-high 504 yards against New England last week, but still dropped a 31-19 contest as six-point home underdogs. Oakland actually won the statistical battle in that game, which was the first time that has happened all season. Star running back Darren McFadden didn’t reach the end zone in the game and has ran for just 91 yards on 30 carries in three career games versus Houston.

Houston is one of the top teams in the league with a 3-1 record, but will be missing star wide receiver Andre Johnson, who is out with a hamstring injury. “We can’t replace Andre. We’ve got to, as a group, try to replace all the production that he adds on the field,” commented Texans head coach Gary Kubiak. “That means everybody’s got to pick it up.” Jacoby Jones will draw the start in his place, as he played in three games filling in for him last year and caught 11 passes for 200 yards. Houston is 3-0 ATS as a favorite this year and 9-10 ATS over the last two-plus campaigns.

The Texas will be facing the 29th-ranked defense in the league and still have plenty of weapons, including Foster in the backfield and quarterback Matt Schaub throwing the football. On the defensive side of the ball, Houston will need to prepare for Oakland’s speed on the outside, as the wide receiver core possesses four of the six fastest 40-yard times in the league since 2008. The Texans do have some speed in the secondary, which will make for an interesting matchup all afternoon.