Houston Texans (3-3 SU, 4-2 ATS) vs. Seattle Seahawks (4-2 SU, 3-3 ATS)
Week 8 NFL
Date/Time: Sunday, October 29, 2017 at 4:05PM EST
Where: CenturyLink, Seattle, Washington
TV: CBS
By Loot, NFL Football Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
Point Spread: HOU +5.5/SEA -5.5
Over/Under Total: 45
The Houston Texans make the trip up to CenturyLink Field to face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. The Texans are coming off the bye week, which followed a 3-3 start, including a 33-17 win over Cleveland in their last game before the break. The Texans have gotten a boost on offense with Deshaun Watson at quarterback and having a big rookie season. They look to turn that loose in what looks like a tough road test against a Seattle team that came off the bye on Sunday to post a nice 24-7 road win over the Giants. At 4-2, they return home and look for a big game against the Texans.
The Texans have alternated wins and losses since dropping their season opener. The move to make Watson the starting quarterback has paid off handsomely. Unfortunately, on the other side of the ball, things aren't as rosy. And with all the personnel losses on defense, the Texans will be happy to break out even on the whole deal. They lost JJ Watt for the season. They also lost Whitney Mercillus and their D-line has gone from an asset to a possible drawback. With all the injuries, they have undergone a transformation in identity, with the offense now the key part of the team.
Deshaun Watson has 12 touchdowns in his last three games and is bringing a lot of life to a Houston offense that hasn't had a ton of it in recent seasons. He has connected well with DeAndre Hopkins, who has been reborn with Watson behind center. Guys like Will Fuller, IV. have stepped up, as he has an amazing five touchdowns on just 8 receptions. Watson has also run a couple touchdowns in, helping the run-game and RB Lamar Miller with his active legs. Rookie back D'Onta Foreman has also been showing signs of life this season, while he and Miller can also be productive in the aerial-game. They also got some good news with word coming down Monday that LT Duane Brown is ending his holdout. He could be on the field as early as Sunday.
BET THE TEXANS VS. SEAHAWKS GAME AND STOP WASTING YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY! STOP LAYING -110 ODDS! START LAYING ONLY -105 TODAY AT THE WEB'S BEST SPORTSBOOK: 5DIMES
There are still things to like about the Houston defense, but the injuries have been a lot to withstand. The line is a patchwork unit without its top two stars in Watt and Mercillus. They really need guys like Jadeveon Clowney and Benardrick McKinney to step up now. Their pass-defense will need to be even better, with secondary members like Jonathan Joseph, Kareem Jackson, Andre Hal, Corey Moore, and Marcus Gilchrist not being so bad this season and making a lot of plays. They've had some bad games this season, but lately they've been victimized by good offenses, while the more-mediocre ones have suffered. They hope for that pattern to continue this week.
The Seahawks haven't really been blowing anyone away this season, whether it be opponents or fans. They've scored close wins against the Rams and 49ers, while dropping road contests to the Packers and Titans. They were able to get one on the road on Sunday, albeit against a depreciated Giants team. They are back at home this week, but an incoming Texans bunch offers a danger-component the Seahawks will need to deal with on Sunday. The Giants actually took a 7-0 lead early in the game, with Seattle adding a FG before the half in a pretty lackluster 30 minutes of play. But Russell Wilson got cooking in the second half and they dominated 21-0 to win going away.
After a slow start on Sunday, Wilson ended up with 334 yards, three touchdowns, and no picks. The run-game tried to get rolling and there were positive signs from Thomas Rawls and Eddie Lacy, both of whom had been silent in the first five games of the season. The real damage on offense was done aerially, with Doug Baldwin breaking through with a big game with 91 yards and a TD, while Paul Richardson and Jimmy Graham also caught TD passes on Sunday. We've seen a lot of variance on this offense this season, scoring between 9 and 47 points this season. But the second half showed that when they're right, they can get the ball moving. Still, it's not an entirely-bankable offense and even at home, the lulls have been frequent over the years.
Other than a tough road loss to the Titans a few weeks ago, the Seattle defense has not allowed over 18 points in a game. In the last two games, they've allowed a total of 17 points. They have been getting really good play in the middle with Bobby Wagner and KJ Wright at the top of their games. They were good up-front with Jarran Reed and Sheldon Richardson keeping the Giants' run-game contained, while Frank Clark was active and recovered a fumble. They might not be the suffocating defense of a few seasons ago, but no team has given up fewer points this season than the Seahawks.
Houston has benefitted from having three straight home games and going from that to CenturyLink Field could be a jarring change in scenery. Combine that with the defense they are facing this week and we might see an end of the Houston high-flying offense we've seen the past several weeks. In the bye week, Houston also better have ironed out the issues on defense with all the losses and their substandard play they've provided at times over the past month. And if they do, this game has the potential to be a typical home Seahawks grind and that's the Seahawks' game. Even so, with the Houston explosion on offense, we see them hanging in there enough to get the cover.
Loot's Prediction to Cover the Point Spread: I'm betting on the Houston Texans plus 5.5 points. Tired of your credit card not working for sportsbook deposit? End that problem today and bet the Houston vs. Seattle game by signing up at Bovada Sportsbook where your credit card WILL work and where you'll receive a generous 50% sign-up bonus!
