NFL Odds: Patriots Huge Favorites In Divisional-Round Game Vs. Texans
The New England Patriots are listed as one of the biggest playoff favorites in NFL history at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com ahead of their divisional-round game Saturday.
The Patriots are set as high as 16-point favorites at the sportsbooks for their matchup with the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night. It’s the fifth time this season that the Patriots have been pegged as double-digit chalk on the NFL betting lines.
New England has performed well when favored by 10 or more points, going undefeated straight up and against the spread in its previous four such outings, and 27-3 SU over its past 30. However, New England has a checkered record when favored by more than 12 points in the postseason, claiming outright victory in its past four but covering just once over that stretch.
The Texans travel east after knocking off the injury-plagued Oakland Raiders 27-14 as four-point home favorites in their wild-card weekend matchup.
Houston has posted SU victories in four of its past five games while winning the AFC South, and the 27 points scored against the Raiders represents its highest offensive output since a 27-20 win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 4.
Last week?s offensive outburst was a welcome tonic for the Texans, who averaged just 16.8 points per game in their final seven regular-season games, failing to cover on six occasions. The Texans have had a particularly hard time on the road this season, going 2-6 SU and ATS.
Houston opened its regular-season road schedule with a visit to New England, where they were handed a 27-0 pummeling by the Patriots as one-point underdogs. That left the Texans winless SU and ATS in four all-time visits to Gillette Stadium, according to the OddsShark NFL Database.
With Tom Brady sidelined by his Deflategate suspension, New England turned to third-string pivot Jacoby Brissett in that Week 3 matchup, but dominated with a ground game that produced three rushing touchdowns in the win.
However, some concerns have been raised about the status of Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount, who has missed two days of practice this week due to illness. Blount ran for a pair of scores in Week 3 and remains considered probable against Houston for Saturday.
Houston has surrendered more than 67 rushing yards just three times in its past 10 outings.
Thumbnail photo via Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports Images
