NFL Betting Online: The Texans upgraded their roster but the quarterback situation remains a concern making it an uphill battle to repeat a nine-win season.
2014 Season Record: 9-7 SU, 9-6-1 ATS, 8-8 O/U
2015 Regular Season Wins Total: 8.5, -125 O, +105 U
Odds to Win Super Bowl: +3610
Odds to Win AFC: +1512
Odds to Win Division: +320
Head coach Bill O'Brien definitely didn't get the credit he deserved for piloting the Texans to nine wins in his debut as an NFL head coach. Having J.J. Watt is really nice but winning nine games without a legit starting quarterback is a hard, hard thing to do in the NFL.
And the Texans are faced with the same challenges in 2015, with heightened expectations. The big question on offense revolves around the most important position – quarterback. They added Brian Hoyer, who struggled in Cleveland last year, and have an unproven Ryan Mallett battling for the starting job.
It won’t matter how good the receivers are if they can’t get the football and for the first time in 13 years Andre Johnson isn’t there to haul in the aerials. His loss hurts, even though his level of play dropped significantly in 2014. Drafting Jaelen Strong was a nice move and the Texans need him to produce early to help the offense.
But until the situation at quarterback is resolved the Texans will be challenged to move the ball through the air, which puts more pressure on a solid group of linemen and running back Arian Foster, who remains a premiere player in the league despite the punishment he’s taken.
The Texans are about defense and end J.J. Watt is the cornerstone of the unit. It’s hard to imagine where they’d be without the Defensive Player of the Year.
Big things were expected from linebacker Jadeveon Clowney, the first overall pick in the 2014 Draft, but injuries kept him on the shelf for all but four games. The Texans are hopeful he doesn’t become the No. 1 answer on the biggest draft busts of all time.
Houston did a nice job landing cornerback Kevin Johnson, linebacker Benardrick McKinney and Strong in the draft while adding nose tackle Vince Wilfork in free agency. The Texans should be stronger, at least on paper, at every position but quarterback.
And it’s hard to win consistently without a top signal-caller, something the Texans are lacking. The hope is Hoyer or Mallet distances himself from the other, but that hasn’t happened. They have a decent roster, but not enough to compete with the other middle-of-the-pack teams in the AFC and definitely not enough to challenge the Colts for the top spot in the division.
KEY ADDITIONS: DT Vince Wilfork, QB Brian Hoyer, FS Rahim Moore, WR Cecil Shorts.
KEY LOSSES: WR Andre Johnson, C Chris Myers, LB Brooks Reed, FS Kendrick Lewis, WR DeVier Posey, SS D.J. Swearinger, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick.
The Texans are a very average team, plain and simple. To the disappointment of NFL fans, they are the closest thing to a challenge as the Colts will get within the division. This isn’t to say that the Texans don’t have a chance to win the division, but it is unlikely.
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