Patriots vs Texans: Best bets, TV schedule & betting preview for NFL preseason matchup
We finally have football back on our screens! The New England Patriots and Houston Texans are set to lock horns this evening in their first preseason matchup of 2023. Both teams missed the playoffs last year and will be hoping to start things off the right way, building some momentum before the new campaign kicks off in September.
We’ve made a handy guide for anyone looking to bet on Patriots vs Texans this weekend.
Patriots vs Texans: preseason info
Date: Thursday, August 10th
Time: 7:00PM ET
Location: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough
TV channel: NFL Gamepass (DAZN)
Patriots vs Texans: preseason odds
Money line: Houston Texans (-166) | New England Patriots (+140)
Spread: Houston Texans -3.5 (-110) | New England Patriots +3.5 (-110)
Game total: Over/Under 37.5 (-110)
Patriots vs Texans: preseason analysis
As with any preseason opener, don’t expect the starting quarterbacks to be suiting up in Patriots vs Texans. From a betting perspective, that’s not neccesarily a bad thing here as there are some great quarterback angles in this matchup.
All eyes are going to be on C.J Stroud, who is still battling for the starting role in Houston. Because of this, he’s likely to see at least a series or two, while Davis Mills will probably see out he rest of the first half. He completed 61% of his passes last year and 66% in 2021. With 3,118 yards and 17 touchdowns to his name in 2022, it’s clear he can very much run an NFL offense. Behind Mills, we’ll likely see C.J Stroud for a quarter and Case Keenum, another proven NFL backup, for the last. The rotation could obviously change, but these are 3 very viable quarterbacks who can score against second and third-string defenses.
From the Pats side of things, Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham will likely see the bulk of action. Zappe looked good in four games of regular season play last year, tossing 781 yards and 5 touchdowns. Cunningham is very much a wildcard, but he’s a dual-threat signal-caller who can burn a defense on the ground as well as through the air.
Patriots vs Texans: betting pick
Preseason quarterback play is often a chaotic affair, and while these two teams have two players that rank in the lower echelon of NFL starters, their depth charts are actually quite impressive. The consistency of somewhat reliable arms will likely see plenty of scoring. Betting the OVER could be the play here, but if you want to get juicy, you can bet on there being over 19.5 first half points.
This guarantees you get the pick of the QB litter before the third/fourth stringers come in and probably has a better chance of coming in. You only need a touchdown & field goal from each team for that to land, which is beyond plausible.
Best Patriots vs Texans betting offers
AP Photo/Michael Wyke
