Two of the five winless teams remaining in football will clash in Tennessee for a Week 5 showdown.
The Houston Texans are searching for their first win of the season, and they have a best-case scenario against the Titans on Sunday.
Demeco Ryans’ squad stands out like a sore thumb among the group of 0-4 teams entering this week. For starters, they’ve led in the fourth quarter in three of their four defeats.
A trio of late defensive breakdowns against the Bills, Colts, and Cowboys ultimately did them in.
This time, with Ryans now calling the defense, Houston is favored by 7.5 against its AFC South rival.
Texans vs. Titans prediction, best bet
Robert Saleh and the Titans covered an 11-point spread in their Week 3 loss to the Ravens, but Lamar Jackson missed the entire second half, and WanDale Robinson’s late touchdown came with 1:12 remaining in the game.
The positives: Cam Ward threw for over 200 passing yards, and rookie Carnell Tate broke out with nine catches for 145 yards.
Tennessee’s defense was a negative, surrendering 24 points in the first half and showing little effort. It was so one-sided that Jesse Minter felt comfortable load-managing players’ minutes in the second half.
If Ward has time in the pocket, the game script could favor Tate, but the Titans’ 13.8 points per game is incredibly low.
The Titans also rank 29th in defensive DVOA, and with big-play Nico Collins on the mend, Saleh’s group is going to need an all-time performance to keep things close.
On the flip side, Houston’s defense has unexpectedly stumbled out of the gate compared with previous seasons.
It seems unimaginable that a Derek Stingley Jr.-led secondary ranks 27th in pass defense DVOA, but CeeDee Lamb exposed them last week by exploding for 189 receiving yards and a score on 17 catches.
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However, C.J. Stroud and Houston’s offense have been serviceable, and with his top pass catcher back in action and Ryans back in charge of the defense, elements of the Texans we saw last season should come to fruition.
Also factor in that the Texans have dominated this matchup, winning three straight, including a Week 5 shutout last season.
I expect Houston’s pass rush to exploit a shaky Titans offensive line and for the Texans to emerge victorious in convincing fashion.
The Play: Texans -7.5 (-108, bet365)
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Mike Turay is a sports journalist and editor who closely follows the NBA, NFL, college sports and UFC. He has demonstrated expertise in both NBA and NFL player prop bets for nearly three years. Mike is also highly knowledgeable about the sportsbook offer landscape, frequently trying and reviewing the latest apps and sites.
