2013 Record: 2-14

2014 Las Vegas Season Win Total: 7.5

2014 Season Win Total Pick: 'Under'

You don't need me to tell you that Houston's 2013 season was an epic disaster. Many analysts touted the Texans as a potential Super Bowl contender. Instead they lost 14 straight games and bottomed out with the worst record in the NFL. As a result the head coach and quarterback were shown the door and Houston is looking for a fresh start this fall.

The big picture question for this year's Texans team is how much of last season was just a freak, fluke occurrence and what type of bounce back can we reasonably expect? Houston's 2013 season was a statistical anomaly by every metric that I use to quantify teams. That means that without much effort they should be able to at least triple last year's win total.

New coach Bill O'Brien is entering his rookie season at the helm and is completely overhauling both the offensive and defensive systems. O'Brien, whose resume includes successful stints with the Patriots and at Penn State, will have a four-way battle for the starting quarterback position and this team is nearly impossible to predict until we know what they're looking at under center.

Houston's schedule is markedly easier this season with crossover games against the shaky NFC East and the overvalued AFC North. There are no particularly easy or daunting stretches, with back-to-back primetime games in Week 6 (Thursday night vs. Indianapolis) and Week 7 (Monday night at Pittsburgh) really serving as the high water mark.

Last year, for all intents and purposes, was a fluke and the Texans are going to be drastically improved this season. The core of this team won 10 games in 2011 and 12 games in 2012, so it is not as if this franchise has been devoid of success. They have finished .500 or better in five of the last seven years. But I don't know that I would be banking on them to top that plateau this year.

Until we get some idea of A) how well the Texans take to O'Brien's schemes and B) who will play quarterback this team is impossible to predict. They are one of the true wild cards in the AFC. I have to stay 'under' but this is probably a group I'd advocate staying far away from.

Texans Regular Season Schedule (All times Eastern)

Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 7, Washington, 1 p.m.

Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 14, at Oakland, 4:25 p.m.

Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 21, at NY Giants, 1 p.m.

Week 4: Sunday, Sept. 28, Buffalo, 1 p.m.

Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 5, at Dallas, 1 p.m.

Week 6: Thursday, Oct. 9, Indianapolis, 8:25 p.m.

Week 7: Monday, Oct. 20, at Pittsburgh, 8:30 p.m.

Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 26, at Tennessee, 1 p.m.

Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 2, Philadelphia, 1 p.m.

Week 10: BYE

Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 16, at Cleveland, 1 p.m.

Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 23, Cincinnati, 1 p.m.

Week 13: Sunday, Nov. 30, Tennessee, 1 p.m.

Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 7, at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.

Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 14, at Indianapolis, 1 p.m.

Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 21, Baltimore, 1 p.m.

Week 17: Sunday, Dec. 28, Jacksonville, 1 p.m.

Robert will be releasing his 2014 NFL Futures Picks on Thursday, Aug. 14. Last year's top two picks (8-Unit Play on Arizona 'over' 5.5 wins and 6-Unit Play on Kansas City over 7.0 wins) both won easily and he has hit his top NFL Futures Play (rated 7.0 or higher) in four straight seasons. For more information visit his Insider's Page HERE.

Robert Ferringo is one of the best NFL handicappers in the world and is coming off one of the best football betting seasons in the 43-year history of Doc's Sports. Robert banked nearly $8,000 in profit for his football clients and won a stunning 62.1 percent of his NFL plays (95-58). Robert has won over 70 percent of his last 58 NFL side plays (41-17) and has posted six of seven winning NFL seasons. He has banked $17,400 in football profit, college and pro, over the last 20 months and he is excited about building on his staggering resume. Take advantage of our free, no-strings-attached $60 credit to use toward a purchase of Robert's football selections. You cannot afford to miss out on this great offer - click here.

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