A theme for the Houston Texans through the first three weeks of the season is they give away games in the fourth quarter.
The Texans were locked with the Chicago Bears 20-20 throughout the fourth quarter in Week 3, but quarterback Davis Mills’ interception that was returned at the Texans’ own 12-yard line allowed Chicago to kick the game-winning field goal.
At 0-2-1, as Yogi Berra would say, it’s “getting late early,” and the Texans need to find a win to regain the optimism that coach Lovie Smith cultivated throughout the offseason and training camp. The problem is the Texans host the Los Angeles Chargers who, even at 1-2, are a very bad matchup, even with their rash of injuries sustained in Week 3 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
How do oddsmakers see this game going?
According to Tipico, the Chargers are -5.5 favorites over the Texans, and the odds represent the third-highest of Week 4. Only the Green Bay Packers (-9.5) against the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles (-6.5) against the Jacksonville Jaguars have better odds. The Chargers are the only road team with such high odds for Week 4.
The over/under is 43.5, which is basically middle of the road for Week 4. The highest point total is Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Ravens (51.5) and the lowest is Chicago Bears at New York Giants (38.5). In the Chargers’ matchup with the Texans in Week 16 last year, Houston beat Los Angeles 41-29. Even if the ledger is reversed in the rematch, it will still be an over for what oddsmakers expect out of the point production for this game.
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