Texans vs Falcons Betting Odds: Atlanta Small Favorites

The Houston Texans have overcome an 0-2 start and posted back-to-back victories over Jacksonville and Pittsburgh. The Atlanta Falcons have dropped two straight after a 2-0 start to the season, with the last loss coming in London.The Atlanta Falcons will look to return to its winning ways when the Texans visit on Sunday. The Texans vs Falcons betting odds show Atlanta as slight 1.5-point favorites with the total at 41.5 points.

Houston Picks Up Quality Wins

The Houston Texans’ two victories are a little more impressive considering they were against Jacksonville and Pittsburgh. It’s not as though Houston was beating Arizona and Carolina. The Houston offense has come alive the past two weeks, with 30 and 37 points. The defense allowed 23 combined points in those two games to move the Texans to 2-2 straight-up and against the spread. The NFL football schedule isn’t too bad for Houston in the next few weeks. There aren’t what you could call any really tough games for the next five weeks until it travels to Cincinnati.

C.J. Stroud has played extremely well for the Texans, throwing for 1,212 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions. He’s added 51 rushing yards, so he’s not running like he did at Ohio State. But this is the NFL and most teams prefer not to see their quarterback running the ball.

The Texans haven’t been spectacular running the ball as a team, relying on the passing game instead. And it’s hard to argue with their results so far.

Houston’s defense was beaten up a little bit in the first two games but has rebounded pretty well. The Texans held Pittsburgh to 225 total yards in last week’s 30-6 victory. The NFL results today are going to be a little tougher for Atlanta. But the point spread suggests it should be a pretty close contest.

Falcons Need to Turn it Around

Atlanta is 2-2 on the year, but one victory came against winless Carolina, and the other win, a 25-24 victory over Green Bay, failed to cover the point spread, where the Falcons are 1-3 on the year. The Falcons passing game has been almost non-existent this season. Atlanta has thrown for just 744 yards in four games. Desmond Ridder has three touchdowns and three interceptions on the season.

Atlanta is a little better running the ball behind Bijan Robinson, who has 318 yards and is averaging 6.0 yards per carry. He’s done most of the heavy lifting for Atlanta this season, with Tyler Allgeier adding 151 yards and two touchdowns. The Falcons are averaging 4.5 yards per carry.

The Falcons are allowing 19.3 points per game. But after holding the Panthers to 10 points in the season opener, the Falcons have allowed 22.3 over their last three games. That isn’t bad, but when you’re challenged offensively, it doesn’t always give your team a chance to win.

What to Expect

The Texans definitely have the momentum entering the game. But it’s going to come down to C.J. Stroud and how he fares against the Atlanta pass defense. The Falcons haven’t been bad at all defending the pass, allowing just 176.3 yards per game and 5.6 yards per pass attempt. If Atlanta makes it tough for Stroud, the Texans will have some problems putting points on the scoreboard.

Houston’s weakness on the defensive side has been the rushing defense, which is allowing 4.4 yards per carry. That could be a huge boost for Atlanta, which would like to keep the ball on the ground as much as possible. The Falcons ran for 130 yards in each of their two wins, so that’s where they have the most success.

Who to Bet On?

The Texans vs Falcons betting odds of Atlanta -1.5 make sense and are about what you would expect due to being at home. There could be the slightest bit of value on the Falcons, although Houston probably looks like the correct side at a quick glance. But the Atlanta defense matches up with Houston pretty well and it’s doubtful there will be a replay of the past two weeks when you look at the NFL scores today. The Falcons should be able to hold Stroud and the Texans in check.

The Texans vs Falcons betting odds of 41.5 on the total might be a shade high. It’s a relatively low number, but given the strengths of the two teams, it’s easier to make a case for the under than the over in this one. The under looks to be the safest wager in this game.

For NFL betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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