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NFL divisional round: Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens betting picks, preview
The first playoff game of the NFL divisional round will take place Saturday afternoon with the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens hosting the upstart Houston Texans. C.J. Stroud looked marvelous last weekend and Lamar Jackson is set to be the NFL's MVP. This is going to be fun.
Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens: Betting Odds
Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, 4:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Spread: Baltimore -9.5, Over/under: 43.5 points, Houston +330 | Baltimore -425
Houston absolutely dominated the Cleveland Browns last Saturday. The defense had two pick-sixes off Joe Flacco, and C.J. Stroud looks to be nothing short but one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL despite this being his first season.
The Texans have some issues in the secondary, but they've been able to make up for it with the play of Stroud and this offense. By holding the Browns to just 14 points, the hope is that DeMeco Ryans's defense is turning a corner at the perfect time.
Baltimore is rested as the AFC's top seed, sitting at 13-4 and having last played a competitive game in Week 17. Is it possible for there to be some rust in this one? Perhaps.
Lamar Jackson finally was surrounded by a deeper WR room, and he's delivered a very efficient season at QB. The Baltimore defense has been their crown-jewel though, ranking highly against the run and the pass.
Houston is 10-8 ATS this season, while Baltimore is 11-6. The Texans are 11-7 to the under and the Ravens are 9-8 to the under.
Betting Picks for Houston vs. Baltimore
Texans +9.5
This game — like Packers-Niners — has a very large spread, and we just have a hard time backing a team to win by 10+ in what should be a much more competitive round of NFL playoff football.
We liked the Browns last weekend, and C.J. Stroud showed us why that line of thinking is so silly. The throws this rookie has been making are truly beautiful to behold, and he's been spreading the ball around at an elite level.
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens have been fantastic this year, but the Baltimore QB is only 1-3 in the postseason, with his lone win a 20-13 victory over Tennessee in the 2021 wild-card round. We'd expect the Ravens to look a bit sluggish after their break, and we'll gladly back Houston to keep it close. Grab the Texans at +9.5.
Follow Griffin Carroll at griffybets.substack.com for data, trends and targets for every NFL game, plus all the off-season news you can use.
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