Saturday, January 14, 2017

Gillette Stadium

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The Houston Texans travel to Gillette Stadium to play the New England Patriots on Saturday in an AFC Divisional Playoff game. The opening line for this game has New England as 15.5 point favorites and the over/under was set at 46. The Texans are 7-9-1 against the spread and their over/under record is 7-10-0. The Patriots have an over/under record of 6-10-0 and they are 13-3-0 against the spread.

Brock Osweiler finished with 168 yards through the air for Houston in their 27-14 win over the Raiders. He completed 14 passes out of 25 attempts for a 56% completion percentage. The Texans were led in rushing by Lamar Miller, who finished with 73 yards on 31 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 2 yards per carry. DeAndre Hopkins was the team leader in receiving with a total of 67 yards and 5 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 13 yards per reception. As a team in that game Houston got a total of 19 first downs. Of those first downs, 7 came on the ground while 9 came through the air. They ran 69 total plays for 291 yards for the game. The Texans ran for 123 yards on 44 attempts.

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Tom Brady finished with 276 yards passing for New England in Week 17. He went 25 for 33, resulting in a 76% completion percentage. The Patriots were led on the ground by LeGarrette Blount, who finished with 51 yards on 14 carries. He ended the game with an average of 4 yards per rush. Julian Edelman led the team in receiving with 151 yards and 8 catches. He finished the game with an average of 19 yards per reception. New England had 22 first downs total. 8 came from running the ball and 12 came from a pass. They ran 63 total plays for 396 yards for the contest. The Patriots ran for 120 yards on 29 carries as a team.

Houston scores 17 points per game on offense this season, which ranks 29th in the NFL. In the passing department, they average 22 passes on 36 attempts for a 61% completion percentage this season. They throw for a total of 199 yards per game through the air as well, which ranks them 29th in the league. The Texans run for an average of 116 yards per game on 29 attempts for an average of 4 yards per carry. That ranks them 8th in the league. They also run 67 plays per contest and average 4.7 yards per play for an average of 315 yards per game, ranking their offense 29th overall this season. The Texans average 19 first downs per game which ranks them 24th in the NFL. They accumulate 54.2 penalty yards per game via 5.4 penalties, which ranks 30th in the league.

Houston allows 202 passing yards per game, ranking 2nd, and they allow 21 points per contest on defense, which ranks 11th. They give up 20 completions on 33 attempts per game for a completion percentage of 61%. The Texans allow 100 rushing yards per game on 25 carries for an average of 4 yards per carry, which ranks their rush defense 13th in the NFL. Houston allows 301 total yards per game including 5.1 yards per play, which ranks their overall defense 1st in terms of yards per game. They get flagged for 7.1 penalties for 59.3 yards per game, ranking them 17th among NFL teams.

New England averages 28 points per game this season on offense, which ranks them 3rd in the league. In the passing department, they complete 23 passes per game on 34 attempts for a 68% completion percentage. They throw for 269 yards through the air per game, ranking them 4th. The Patriots run for an average of 117 yards per game on 30 attempts for an average of 3.9 yards per carry this season, which ranks them 7th on the ground. They also run 66 plays per game and average 5.8 yards per play for a total of 386 yards per game, ranking them 4th in the league on offense. The Patriots get an average of 22 first downs per game, which ranks 5th. They average 51.2 penalty yards per game via 5.8 penalties, ranking them 27th in the NFL.

New England allows an average of 238 passing yards per game, which ranks 12th in the league. Their defense overall allows 16 points per contest, which has them ranked 1st. They give up 23 completions on 37 attempts for a completion percentage of 62% per game. The Patriots allow 89 rushing yards per contest on 23 carries for a 3.9 average per rush, ranking their overall rush defense 3rd in the NFL. New England allows 326 total yards per game for an average of 5.2 yards per play, which ranks 8th in the league. They force 7.1 penalties for 58.1 yards in each contest, ranking 11th.

Houston Betting Trends

Houston is 7-10-0 against the over/under this season

Houston has an ATS record of 7-9-1 this season

New England Betting Trends

New England is 6-10-0 against the over/under this season

New England has an ATS record of 13-3-0 this season

Injuries to Watch

Houston

12/14/16 WR Braxton Miller Shoulder IR
12/10/16 WR Jaelen Strong Ankle IR
11/12/16 S Lonnie Ballentine Groin IR
10/25/16 T Derek Newton Knee IR
10/17/16 S K.J. Dillon ACL IR
10/17/16 CB Kevin Johnson Foot IR
10/05/16 DT Devon Still Undisclosed IR
09/30/16 DE J.J. Watt Back IR
08/31/16 G Nick Martin Ankle IR
08/31/16 K Ka'imi Fairbairn Quad IR
08/31/16 S Kurtis Drummond Leg IR
01/08/17 QB Brock Osweiler None expected to start Saturday vs. New England
01/08/17 S Quintin Demps Hamstring injured last game, "?" Saturday vs. New England
01/08/17 QB Tom Savage Concussion "?" Saturday vs. New England
01/08/17 LB John Simon Chest "?" Saturday vs. New England

New England

12/04/16 TE Rob Gronkowski Back IR
10/15/16 LB Jonathan Freeny Shoulder IR
08/30/16 T Sebastian Vollmer Hip PUP
01/08/17 CB Cyrus Jones Knee "?" Saturday vs. Houston
01/08/17 WR Danny Amendola Ankle probable Saturday vs. Houston
01/08/17 WR Malcolm Mitchell Knee "?" Saturday vs. Houston

Guy's Pick: Take New England -15.5

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