The Houston Texans had a good look at Brock Osweiler a few years ago when they signed him to be their starting quarterback. That experiment didn’t even last a season before the team said adios to their free agent mistake. With Ryan Tannehill experiencing shoulder discomfort, the Miami Dolphins will turn to Osweiler again when the Fins take on the Texans in the Week 9 Thursday Night Football matchup. In a division that was expected to be one of the toughest in the NFL, the Texans have taken over first-place in the AFC South thanks to a four-game winning streak and they opened as a 7-point favorite to extend it to five.
Watch this Week 8 regular season matchup live on Thursday, October 25, 2018, at 8:20 p.m. ET at NRG Stadium.
Opening NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Miami Dolphins +7
Houston Texans -7
Over/Under 45.5
In his brief NFL career Deshaun Watson has proven exactly what kind of player he is. He lit up the scoreboard last season before a knee injury ended his rookie campaign, and the Texans suffered because of it. Upon his return this season, the offensive numbers haven’t been as staggering and the Texans got off to a rocky start. But they moved into sole possession of first place in the AFC South behind their fearless leader and a defensive effort most expected from this team with stars on that side of the football.
Dealing with a rib injury, Watson made the trip to Florida for last week’s game against the Jags by private bus. He wasn’t deterred in his mission of getting the Texans a win and the game plan was tailored to prevent Watson from serious harm. He threw just 24 passes was sacked only once and otherwise wasn’t needed to do much against a Jags team that self-destructed. It was also just what Watson and the Texans needed with a short turnaround for Thursday night’s game.
The Texans turned to Lamar Miller instead, who gave the team its first 100-yard rushing game of the season. Miller hit the century mark on the nose and scored a touchdown as the Texans amassed 141 yards on the ground. And that looks good heading into their showdown with the Fins. Miami was gouged for 248 yards and 7.1 yards per carry on the ground by Detroit last week, and considering the difficulties the Lions have had running the football the last several years, the numbers were quite alarming.
So because of that, I expect Miller to get a large number of touches early in the game to test Miami’s run defense and to keep the pressure off Watson, who hasn’t completely healed. And Houston will continue to pound the ball until the Dolphins can stop them. The Fins haven’t done that lately, allowing more than 160 yards on the ground in three of their last four games. There’s a good chance Miller goes over his total for rushing yards on a prop bet at BookMaker.eu, but the number of running plays is also likely to keep the score down on the live betting line.
Houston’s defense is also very familiar with the opposing quarterback having played against him in practice. Osweiler was brought in prior to the 2016 season and proceeded to have one of the worst seasons of his career. He landed in south beach and won the backup job, now with Tannehill nursing a sore shoulder, the job is Osweiler’s He had a monster game against the Bears two weeks ago to get the Fins an upset win, but he returned to his normal self last week.
Osweiler threw for 239 yards and two touchdowns and he’ll also be down a few top targets as the injuries continue to mount. Houston pressured Jags’ quarterbacks into three turnovers and sacked Cody Kessler four times. And you can bet they’re going to tee off on Osweiler. This is a good opportunity for J.J. Watt to add to his sack total and play that chip on the live betting lines at BookMaker.eu.
Dolphins at Texans Live Betting
Houston’s defense has turned up the heat over the last three games allowing a total of 36 points in that span. The group is healthy and playing at a high level so I don’t think the Fins are going to have any more success than the Jags, Bills or Cowboys. It would be best to jump on the adjusted lines early on the live betting feature at BookMaker.eu, and pound the Texans if they fall behind. With their weapons, they are better equipped to come back from a deficit, and the defense will contain Osweiler and whoever the Fins have catching passes.
NFL Betting Odds
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
