NFL Divisional Round Texans at Patriots
The Houston Texans will travel to New England to play the Patriots in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. Tom Brady and the Patriots are expected to roll over the Texans, as the sportsbooks are giving New England 16 points as the favorite.
The Texans will have an uphill battle if they are able to pull off this massive upset. Tom Brady will need to have one of his worse playoff games in history in order for the Texans to win this game. Some sportsbooks have even raised the betting lines on the Patriots to (-17) which is pretty incredible, considering the fact that this is an NFL playoff game.
If the Patriots take care of business, they will meet the winner of the Steelers/Chiefs game in the AFC Championship round.
Some sports bettors may see value in taking Houston and the points but that could prove to be a dangerous strategy. On one hand, Bill O’Brien and the Texans will be ready to play the Patriots and since Bill O’Brien is a Bill Belichick disciple, it is expected that he’ll know the New England system well. On the other hand, you’d be betting against Tom Brady and that hasn’t worked out well for sports bettors over the past few years.
Knowing the system and stopping the system are two different things. If the Texans are able to put on a defensive performance, a +16 or +17 point spread might be a tempting proposition.