NFL Odds: Deshaun Watson Injury, Ezekiel Elliott Reprieve Affect Week 9 Betting Lines
Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson’s season-ending injury has had an immediate and dramatic impact on the NFL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com, where the Texans have faded to 6.5-point favorites in Sunday’s clash with the division-rival Indianapolis Colts.
The Texans opened as 11.5-point chalk and climbed to 13-point favorites before Watson suffered a knee injury Thursday, ending a spectacular campaign that had vaulted him to the top of the odds to claim honors as this season’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
With Watson sidelined, the Texans will hand the ball to Tom Savage. The 27-year-old has made just one appearance this season, going 7-for-13 for 62 yards in a 29-7 Week 1 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars as 6-point home chalk, and has yet to connect on a touchdown pass since breaking into the NFL in 2014.
The Colts ride a three-game straight-up losing streak and have dropped five straight SU on the road, but managed to cover as heavy 11-point underdogs in last week’s 24-23 loss on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals. Indianapolis has surrendered 30.7 points per game over its past six outings, fueling a 5-1 run for the OVER in totals betting. The Colts also are winless SU and ATS in three dates with the Texans including a 26-23 loss in Houston as 3-point dogs last season.
While the Texans struggle with the loss of their star pivot, the Dallas Cowboys received news that last season’s rookie sensation Ezekiel Elliott has received a temporary reprieve of his six-game suspension from a US court, clearing the way for him to play in Sunday afternoon’s clash with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Dallas opened as narrow 1-point chalk, but received a boost with Elliott’s reinstatement, and currently is pegged as a 2.5-point favorite over the Chiefs. The Cowboys have tallied two straight wins including an important 33-19 victory in Washington against the Redskins last week to improve to 4-3 and claim sole possession of second place in the NFC East. But Dallas has lost outright in two straight as home favorites, surrendering 35 points in each of those defeats.
The Chiefs ended a two-game SU and against the spread slide with last week’s 29-19 win over the Denver Broncos as 7-point home chalk, but have not recorded a win in Dallas since 1975, going winless SU and ATS in four visits since.
In other NFL Week 9 betting action, the Philadelphia Eagles aim for a seventh straight win as they host the Broncos as 7-point favorites, and the New Orleans Saints look to march towards a sixth straight victory as they battle the fading Tampa Bay Buccaneers as 6.5-point home chalk.
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