Steelers vs. Texans Prediction
Will the Houston Texans cover the point spread as a home underdog Christmas Day when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers at 4:30 p.m. ET?
Who Oddsmakers Like: Pittsburgh. According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Steelers are 9-point road favorites versus the Texans, who opened as a 10-point home underdog. The total, meanwhile, hit the board at 44 but has been bet up to 45 at most sports books.
Who the Public Likes: As of Monday morning, 71% of betting tickets are on the Steelers to cover the spread and 84% of the money is also on Pittsburgh.
Who the Trends Like: Pittsburgh. In the last four meetings between these two teams, the favorite is a perfect 4-0 against the spread.
Who We Like: Houston. I don’t like this spot for Pittsburgh coming off that heartbreaking loss to New England last Sunday at home. This is a prime letdown spot for the Steelers, who typically play up and down to their competition. After losing last week to the Patriots, now they have to go on the road Christmas Day and get up for a Texans team coming off a 45-7 loss to the Jaguars.
Speaking of which, according to Sports Insights, teams that failed to cover the spread in their previous game by 24 or more points have gone 183-131-10 against the spread since 2003 in their next game. That’s a 58.3% clip. I expect Houston to play hard in front of its home crowd and get up one last time versus a Pittsburgh team headed to the playoffs.
NFL WEEK 16 PREDICTIONS: HOUSTON TEXANS +9