Buffalo Bills vs Houston Texans Picks, Odds, AFC Wild Card Predictions 1/4/2020

Game: Buffalo Bills vs Houston Texans

Date: Saturday, January 4th, 2020

AFC Wild Card

Location: NRG Stadium in Houston, TX

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Houston -3.5

Total/Over-Under: 38.5

NRG Stadium is the site where Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans will play the Buffalo Bills on Saturday in an AFC Wild Card game. Houston opens this matchup as 3.5-point favorites. The O/U has been set at 38.5. The Bills are 10-6-0 ATS and 4-12-0 when betting on the total. The Texans are 7-9-0 when wagering on the over/under and 10-6-0 against the spread.

In their last game, the Buffalo Bills took on the New York Jets and ended up taking the loss by a score of 13-6. Isaiah McKenzie led the team on the ground in the game. He tore off a long run of 16 yards but wasn't able to convert a rushing touchdown. He scurried for 30 yards via 2 carries which means he ran for an average of 15 yards per carry. Duke Williams led the team in receiving yardage with a total of 108 yards on 6 catches. He earned an average of 18.0 yards per reception in the game. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Bills was Matt Barkley who went 18/35 with 232 yards through the air but wasn't able to throw a ball for a TD. He gave away 2 interceptions during the game. The Buffalo Bills ended up running the ball 20 times and earned a total of 73 yards which had them averaging 3.7 yards per attempt. In the game, the Bills earned a total of 17 first downs and they had a total of 5 penalties for 40 yards. On the day, they totaled 61 plays for a total of 309 yards. When discussing the defense, Buffalo conceded 23 catches on 36 attempts for a total of 185 yards, and a completion percentage of 64.0%. In the running game, the Bills conceded 86 yards on 27 runs which is an average of 3.2 yards per rushing attempt allowed. On the day, they conceded 271 yards and forced 1 takeaway. Another matchup you may want to look into is the pick from Guy Bruhn on the Titans vs Patriots game.

Bills Worsen Their Mark to 10-6 After Loss

The Bills come into this game with a record of 10-6 this season. They are one of lowest scoring teams in the league averaging 20 points per contest, ranking them 23rd in the NFL. As a unit, they are averaging 128 yards on the ground per contest which is 4th among AFC teams. For total yardage, they rank 10th in the AFC and 24th in the NFL with 5,283 yards. When it comes to scoring touchdowns, the Bills have compiled a total of 21 passing touchdowns and 13 rushing touchdowns. They are a low scoring offensive team among AFC East teams and they will need to step up if they want to have a good offensive output.

The Bills have one of the best defenses in the league, allowing 16.2 points per contest putting them 2nd in the conference. When it comes to passing yards, the Bills have allowed 3,123 yards. Opponents are completing 62.9% of the passes they throw against them and averaging 5.2 yards per attempt. They have allowed 15 passing touchdowns and 12 rushing touchdowns. In terms of rushing yards, Buffalo is giving up 103.1 yards per contest putting them 3rd in the AFC East and 10th in the league. Opposing teams are running for an average of 4.3 yards per rush putting them 9th in the conference and 18th in the NFL overall. Overall, they have allowed 2,054 yards rushing through 16 games.

In their last game, the Houston Texans took on the Tennessee Titans and were beaten 35-14. Taiwan Jones paced the team on the ground during the game. He tore off a long run of 11 yards but he wasn't able to rush for a TD on the day. He rushed for a total of 40 yards via 9 carries which means he ran for an average of 4.4 yards per carry. DeAndre Carter was the receiving yardage leader by earning 65 yards on 6 catches. He notched an average of 10.8 yards per catch during the game. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Texans was AJ McCarron who went 21/36 with 225 yards passing but wasn't able to get any balls in the endzone via the pass. He tossed 1 interception in the game. The Houston Texans rushed the ball a total of 25 times and earned a total of 109 yards which gave them an average of 4.4 yards per rush. In all, they finished with a total of 65 plays for a total of 301 yards. Overall, the Texans racked up 20 1st downs and they had a total of 5 infractions for 35 yards. When discussing the defense, Houston allowed 14 catches on 21 tries for a total of 222 yards, and a completion percentage of 67.0%. For the game, they gave up 467 yards but finished the game without a turnover. On the ground, the Texans allowed 245 yards on 39 carries which is an average of 6.3 yards per carry allowed. Josh Schonwald has a free pick for the contest between the Vikings and Saints.

Texans are 10-6 After Loss

The Texans step onto the field holding a record of 10-6. In terms of offensive proficiency, the Texans have an offense that could be called mediocre in the league. When looking at their ability to score points, the Texans currently sit at 2nd among AFC South teams and 14th out of all the teams in the league averaging 23.6 points per game. Houston has made teams respect their running game by averaging 126 rushing yards per contest, putting them 9th in the NFL. As a unit, they have a total of 2,009 yards rushing through 16 games, so they are going to want to make some changes to the ground game if they want to make teams respect them. The Texans average 362 yards per game overall which has them at 13th in the NFL and 6th in the AFC.

The Texans are giving up 24.1 points per game ranking them 3rd in the AFC South and 19th in the NFL. In discussing points allowed, they have given up 385 total points. When it comes to yards rushing, they are giving up 121 yards per contest ranking them 25th in the league and 3rd among AFC South teams. This season, they have conceded a total of 1,937 rushing yards and 12 rushing TDs. Their pass defense is one of the middle of the road units in the NFL. They are allowing 267 passing yards per game. For passing yards allowed per game, the Texans are currently ranked 16th in the AFC. They have conceded 33 passing TDs for this year.

Who will win tonight's Bills/Texans NFL game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Bills +3.5

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