The Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans will both be gunning for a victory on Sunday when they meet at NRG Stadium.
Baltimore at Houston
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 21, 2014
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS.
LINE: Ravens -5.5. O/U: 41.5
PREDICTION: Ravens 25, Texans 13
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Oddsmakers currently have the Ravens listed as 3½-point favorites versus the Texans, while the game’s total is sitting at 42.
The likely successor to Mallett and Fitzpatrick, rookie Tom Savage, has already been ruled out with a knee injury. O’Brien is letting a battle play out in practice this week between Thad Lewis, who was signed on Nov. 26, and Case Keenum, who was with the team in training camp before being cut and was re-signed off the St. Louis practice squad on Monday. “I’m going to keep that one close to the vest,” O’Brien told reporters of the decision. “Both these guys, Case and Thad, are out there working hard. Right up until game time, that’s going to be the way it is.”
Last time out for Houston, they were a 17-10 loser as they battled the Colts on the road. The Texans earned a push in the match as a +7-point underdog, while 27 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors.
Team record: 7-7 SU,8-5-1 ATS
Houston is 7-18 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston’s last 5 games
Houston is 4-10 ATS in its last 14 games at home
Houston is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games at home
Baltimore sits in third place in the tightly-packed AFC North, a half-game behind Cincinnati and even with Pittsburgh, which owns the tiebreaker based on a better record within the division. The Ravens only have one more chance to make up a game in the division – Week 17 against Cleveland – and need some help from opponents of both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. “I’m excited about our team,” Baltimore coach John Harbaugh told reporters. “I like where we’re at. We’re getting better and stronger, and I also think there’s room for improvement, which gives me a lot of encouragement and excitement, because we’ve yet to play our best game, by far.”
Baltimore won its last outing, a 20-12 result against the Jaguars on December 14. The Ravens failed to cover in that game as a -14-point favorite, while the 32 combined points took the game UNDER the total.
Team record: 9-5 SU,8-6 ATS
Baltimore is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Baltimore’s last 5 games on the road
Baltimore is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Houston
Baltimore is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Houston
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