Cleveland Browns vs Houston Texans 9/19/21 NFL Picks, Odds, Predictions

The Cleveland Browns meet the Houston Texans Sunday in week 2 NFL action at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland. The Houston Texans look for another win after beating the Jaguars in their season opener. The Cleveland Browns look for a win after losing a heartbreaker to the Chiefs. 

The Houston Texans look for their first 2-0 start since the 2016 NFL season. Tyrod Taylor is completing 63.6 percent of his passes for 291 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Brandin Cooks and Pharaoh Brown have combined for 199 receiving yards on nine catches while Danny Amendola has five receptions. The Houston Texans ground game is averaging 160 yards per contest, and Mark Ingram II leads the way with 85 yards and one touchdown. Defensively, Houston is allowing 21 points and 395 yards per game. Desmond King II leads the Houston Texans with eight tackles, Whitney Mercilus has one sack and Vernon Hargreaves III has one interception.

The Cleveland Browns look to avoid their first 0-2 start since the 2017 NFL season. Bake Mayfield is completing 75 percent of his passes for 321 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception. David Njoku and Jarvis Landry have combined for 147 receiving yards on eight catches while Anthony Schwartz has three receptions. The Cleveland Browns ground game is averaging 153 yards per contest, and Nick Chubb leads the way with 83 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, Cleveland is allowing 33 points and 397 yards per game. Anthony Walker leads the Cleveland Browns with nine tackles, Joe Jackson has one sack and Malik Jackson has one pass deflection.

The Texans are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games as an underdog and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games in September. The Browns are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games as a favorite and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games. The over is 5-2 in Texans last 7 games on grass. The under is 5-2 in Browns last 7 games as a favorite. The Texans are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 meetings.

The Houston Texans likely can’t repeat what they did in their season opener, but there’s no doubt they were impressive and there should be ore confidence in this club than before. The Cleveland Browns are the more talented team, but they also underachieve a lot and there’s no way you can back them confidently in the big favorite role. In fact, this is just the fifth time since 2007 the Browns have been double-digit favorites. You’re just not running to the window to back the Browns in these sort of spots. The Browns haven’t earned the trust in the big favorite role. Give me the Texans and the boatload of points.