Houston Texans vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12/21/19 NFL Betting Odds and Preview

The Houston Texans hit the road and take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Raymond Jones Stadium on Saturday, December 21, 2019.

The Texans are coming off a win over the Tennessee Titans which put them in the driver’s seat in the AFC South Division. With Houston one game up on Tennessee, the Texans look to clinch the division with a win over the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay. Meanwhile, the Bucs have won four in a row despite being already eliminated from playoff contention. Tampa Bay ended the Indianapolis Colts’ playoff chances two weeks back. This week, they could put a dent in Houston’s aspirations as well.

Big Win

The Houston Texans earned a big win last week when they defeated the Tennessee Titans 24-21. That victory put Houston one game ahead of Tennessee in the race for the AFC South Division. With their next opponent already out of the postseason conversation, the Titans look to clinch their division this week on the road.

DeShaun Watson has passed for a total of 3,668 yards with 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Carlos Hyde has rushed for 1,030 yards with 5 touchdowns on 224 carries. Meanwhile, De’Andre Hopkins has caught a total of 99 passes for 1,142 receiving yards with seven touchdowns.

The Texans are 11th in the NFL in passing at 245.0 passing yards per game. Houston is ranked 7th in the league in rushing at 130.9 rushing yards and they are 10th overall in scoring at 24.4 points per game. The Texans are allowing their opponents to score an average of 23.6 points per game this season.

Dangerous Spoilers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are already out of the playoffs but they have proven to be dangerous spoilers as they have put together a four-game winning streak. The Bucs essentially eliminated the Indianapolis Colts’ playoff hopes a couple of weeks ago. They could do the same to Houston this week if things go their way again.

Jameis Winston has thrown for a total of 4,573 passing yards with 30 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. Ronald Jones leads Tampa Bay in rushing at 541 rushing yards with five touchdowns on 147 carries. Chris Godwin is the team’s top receiver at 1,333 receiving yards with 9 touchdowns on 86 catches.

The Bucs are the top passing team in the NFL with an average of 308.8 passing yards. They are ranked 27th on the ground with 94.4 rushing yards per game. Tampa Bay is the 3rd highest-scoring team in the league this season at 29.7 points per game scored and they are allowing their opponents to score 28.4 points per game.

Who Wins?

Houston is 5-2 SU in their last seven games played. The Texans are 4-3 SU in seven road games played this season, and 4-2 SU in their last six December games. Tampa Bay is 5-1 SU in their last six games played. The Buccaneers are 0-8 SU in their last eight Week 16 games, 1-7 SU in their last eight Saturday games. Head to head, the Texans are 3-1 SU in their last four games played against the Buccaneers.

DeShaun Watson is having an excellent season and running back Carlos Hyde is putting together his first 1,000 rushing season. Hyde’s ability to use the clock has taken some pressure off Watson and that has made Houston’s offense click this year. The Texans want to wrap up their Division this week and that is a good motivation.

The Bucs have won four in a row but they are already out of playoff contention. Tampa Bay is merely playing for pride and trying to spoil the Texans who are only just one game ahead of the Tennessee Titans in the AFC South Division. Winston is playing through a thumb injury but the Bucs have won four in a row, although against teams out of playoff contention.

Tampa Bay has proved to be dangerous spoilers. They recently dealt the Indianapolis a crushing defeat. However, the Buccaneers only have one playoff team in their schedule since last month and that team in Houston. The Texans play better defense than the teams Tampa Bay has beaten during their run. I like Houston to stop the Bucs giant-killing spree.

Prediction: Houston Texans

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Other Bets to Make

The Texans are 2-3 ATS in their last five games played. Houston is 5-2 ATS in seven road games played this season. The Bucs are 5-8-1 ATS in 14 games played this season. Tampa Bay is 0-5-1 ATS in six home games played this year, 2-10-1 ATS in their last 13 games played against the AFC South Division, and 8-1-2 ATS in their last 11 December games. Head to head, Houston is 3-1 ATS in their last four games played against Tampa Bay.

The Texans play better defense than all four teams that the Buccaneers have beaten during their winning streak. Houston is looking to clinch their division here so that their worry next week will be positioning for the playoffs. Look for Houston to end Tampa Bay’s streak here.

Prediction: Texans -3

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The total has gone under in five out of the last seven games played by the Texans. The over is 4-1 in Houston’s last five games against an opponent from the NFC but the under is 6-3 in their last nine games played against the NFC South Division. The total has gone over in 11 out of the last 12 games played by the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay has seen the total go over in each of their last five games played at home. Head to head, the over is 2-1 in the last three meetings between the Texans and Buccaneers.

These two teams have combined to score an average of 33.75 points per game in their last 10 games played, and 38.67 points per game in their last three head to head meetings. However, the Buccaneers have been an OVER machine in their last 10 games, going past the total in nine. Tampa Bay has scored 30 or more points in five out of their last seven games played. Houston has a better defense than the teams which Tampa Bay has beaten during their four-game winning steak. Despite that, the Texans are still in the bottom half in the league when it comes to scoring defense. I like the Bucs to lead the Texans in a track meet.

Prediction: Over 49.5

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