Houston Texans Opening Odds vs. Kansas City Chiefs

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The Houston Texans are now riding high as one of the AFC’s most feared teams after their upset victory in Indianapolis against the Colts. Now standing at 7-5, the Houston Texans have now won four straight against AFC opponents, yet will receive no reprieve in their sprint to the playoffs, as a visit to Arrowhead Stadium to face the Kansas City Chiefs is next up. Both teams are currently on the outside of the playoff picture as of Week 13, but since they’re only just barely on the outside, this upcoming matchup between the two teams carries a serious level of weight to the entire playoff-picture. Seeing as both Houston and Kansas City are two teams likely battling it out for a wildcard spot, this one game could end up being the difference between being in the playoffs and being out of it.

FanDuel already has the odds for this game on their website, where you can take a gander at all of the lines in this pivotal AFC matchup and take your bets. As of Monday morning, they’re still not favoring the Texans:

If you’d like to try your hand, just follow this link to start betting on the variety of options FanDuel has available. FanDuel gives you the choice to make traditional bets as well as Quick Bets, wagers that rely less on the outcome of the game and more on who will score the first touchdown, first field goal, etc.

THE SPREAD: HOUSTON TEXANS +3.5

Despite four straight wins and defensive performances that would make the 2000 Ravens Super Bowl team blush, the Houston Texans remain underdogs for yet another week. Now, I think it goes without saying that the Kansas City Chiefs are a unique opponent, having been so dominant over the last five years that most will favor them to win until they’ve knocked themselves completely out of playoff contention. That hasn’t happened yet, and this game is in Kansas City, so even though I personally believe Houston to be the better team in this matchup, I understand why the Chiefs are favored. Just by 3.5 points, though? Suffice to say, FanDuel expects this game to be very close, meaning Houston can win it as long as they’re the last team to have possession of the ball at the end.

I’m very nervous about this game, but I’d put my faith in Houston to at least cover the spread. This defense won’t allow Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to run away with this game, so expect a nail-biter with plenty of field goals to go around.

THE MONEYLINE: HOUSTON TEXANS +168

If you were to bet $20 on Houston winning this game, you’d get $33.60 in return. Not a very favorable return, which signals FanDuel’s belief that this will be a very, very close matchup. Both the Chiefs and Texans have gone through ugly bouts of sloppiness on offense during this season, and have relied heavily on their defenses to keep them in the mix. Houston has kept their opponents from scoring more than 20 points in 10 of their 12 games this season, and Kansas City has done the same in 7 of their 12 games so far. Following the statistics, I think the Texans have the edge in this game, but Patrick Mahomes’ scrambling ability will be a true x-factor. The Texans have lost multiple games this season alone because of letting the opposing quarterback scramble for big gains in the fourth quarter, like they did when facing the Buccaneers and Broncos. If there’s a QB in the league that is known for his ability to rip out the hearts of NFL fans everywhere with his scrambling, it’s Patrick Mahomes. So, Houston’s defense will have to take another step towards perfection if they’re fixing on making this a five-game win streak.

OVER/UNDER: 42.5

FanDuel is basically expecting six total touchdowns in this game to make up all of the scoring, and I have to say it, I’m banging the under on this one! The Texans just beat the Colts 20-16 right after defeating the Bills 23-19, both under that 42.5 total. Houston’s defense, especially their defensive line, controlled the pace of both of these games, and I expect them to do much of the same against the Chiefs in Week 14. There will be a few touchdowns (and sadly, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce will probably get one of them), but I don’t expect more than four total in this game. Kansas City has been working with a messy offensive line for much of the season, which Mahomes has been able to navigate whilst scoring touchdowns, but I expect him to have a little more difficulty doing that against Houston’s group. I expect this game to be all about the field goals, as as such, below the 42.5 mark.

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