New England Patriots (1-3) vs. Houston Texans (1-3)
October 10, 2021 1:00 pm EDT
The Line: Houston Texans +9 ; Over/Under: 39.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Houston Texans and New England Patriots do battle late Sunday afternoon in a week 5 NFL contest from NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. The Patriots are coming off a matchup versus the Buccaneers. New England took a tough two-point loss in that one. As for the Texans, they played the Bills in their last outing. Houston ended up falling in a blowout defeat. Check back all season long for free NFL picks at Sports Chat Place.
New England kicked off their 2021 season with a tight 17-16 home loss to the Dolphins, but they were able to even it out with a 25-6 win over the lowly Jets in week two. The Patriots came back home for another loss, this time 28-13 versus the Saints.
Last weekend versus the Buccaneers, the Patriots scored 10 in the fourth quarter but couldn’t complete the comeback in a 19-17 loss. QB Mac Jones put up 275 yards with two TDs and a pick, while Jakobi Meyers logged 70 yards from eight receptions to lead the team.
Over on the Texans’ side, they kicked off their year with a victory, taking out the Jaguars 37-21. Houston has hit the skids in three games since then however, falling 31-21 to the Browns, 24-9 to the Panthers and 40-0 to the Bills.
In last weekend’s big loss to Buffalo, the Texans gave up 21 points in the fourth quarter alone. QB Davis Mills put up 87 yards with four interceptions on 11-of-21 passing, and Brandin Cooks led the receivers with 47 yards off five grabs.
The Patriots are 14-2 ATS in their last 16 games in week five and 43-18-2 ATS in their last 63 in October. New England is also 1-4 ATS in their last five road games.
Meanwhile, the Texans are 4-1 ATS in their last five as an underdog and 3-13 ATS in their last 16 in week five. Houston is 1-6 ATS in their last seven in October as well.
PICK: I’m sticking with New England. The Pats offense could really use a kick in the pants, however. Last weekend New England put up 294 yards total, with minus-1 coming on the ground. The Patriots turned the ball over twice and allowed four sacks.
As for Houston, they couldn’t do anything right against the Bills: five turnovers, 109 total yards, six first downs and 10 penalties. It was a blowout in every sense of the word. The Texans will likely look better here (they can’t look much worse) but I think New England has it on the cover.
