Opening Spread in Texans vs Chargers Favors Los Angeles by 3.5
- Despite a heartbreaking loss to the Lions, the Los Angeles Chargers are favored next week against the Texans
- Deshaun Watson and the Texans managed to narrowly escape with a one point win over the Jaguars
- Should the Chargers be favored going into this Week 3 matchup or will the line move more in favor of the Texans?
Following the Chargers disappointing loss in Detroit and Houston’s survival against Jacksonville in Week 2, the Texans visit to Los Angeles this week in a battle among AFC playoff contenders will be an intriguing viewing option next Sunday.
With Deshaun Watson hoping for a more clean pocket and Rivers and co. looking to clean up their offensive struggles of this past week, the Texans vs Chargers odds are as close as can be.
Los Angeles Chargers vs Houston Texans Odds
| Team | Spread | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Chargers | -3.5 | +105 |
| Houston Texans | +3.5 | -125 |
Odds taken 09/16/2019.
The Chargers have opened as a slight 3.5 point favorite against the Houston Texans getting plus-money to cover, but don’t expect the odds to stay like this for too much longer.
Rivers Struggles Against Detroit
It was a disappointing week 2 for the Chargers as they failed to get it done against the Detroit Lions. Philip Rivers put up some pretty good numbers throwing for 293 yards, but he was unable to throw any touchdown passes.
To make matters worse, with the game in his hands driving towards the end zone with just over a minute remaining, he inexplicably threw an interception to Lions CB Darius Slay which effectively ended the game.
Rivers picked off by Slay in the end zone with a minute left. #chargers pic.twitter.com/a75uEGhv6A
— Sports Gifs & Videos (@Supreme_gifs) September 15, 2019
Can you expect Rivers and the Chargers to struggle like this again at home? Don’t count on it.
Running back Austin Ekeler had another solid game rushing for 66 yards and a touchdown but he should be able to produce more along the lines of his Week 1 explosion against a Texans defense that’s given up an average of 125 yards on the ground through the first two games.
Watson Grinds Out Gritty Win For Texans
Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans didn’t exactly impress this past weekend. After lighting up the New Orleans Saints for 268 yards and 3 touchdowns in Week 1, Watson wasn’t nearly as good this time around, as he was only able to manage a pedestrian 159 yards with no touchdowns on the day.
His team barely beat the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars with backup quarterback Gardner Minshew by a single point. If Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone hadn’t decided to go for the two point conversation and simply played it safe and sent the game to overtime with the PAT, the Texans could’ve fallen to 0-2.
#Jaguars need a two-point conversion to win. And… this happens?
I am still 100 percent confused by this play call. pic.twitter.com/cRYwlQXPlK
— Big Cat Country (@BigCatCountry) September 15, 2019
Expect the line to drop from -3.5 in favor of the Chargers to about -3 or even -2.5. Remember, this is the same Texans team that lost a razor close game in the super dome in New Orleans. He’ll bounce back against a Chargers defense which won’t be nearly as dangerous as the one he faced this past weekend in Jacksonville as its missing some key pieces.
This is a tough game to call but the best early bet is the Houston Texans to get it done on the road this Sunday in Los Angeles.
Hans Themistode has worked in sports journalism since attending Queens College, and has worked for several newspapers including the BX Times and Canarsie Courier, as well as writing for publications such as Fansided and The Clever. His work has also been featured on Bleacher Report.
