Eagles vs. Texans Week 9 matchup preview and current betting lines
The Philadelphia Eagles (7-0) have the best record in the NFL and the Houston Texans (1-5-1) have the worst record in the AFC. What do you think is going to happen when the run-heavy Eagles meet the bottom-ranked rush defense from Houston, or when this great Philadelphia secondary matches up with Houston quarterback Davis Mills?
It may be the most lopsided matchup of the season so far. The NFL Week 9 odds have the Eagles as a 13.5-point road favorite with a total of 45 points in this matchup. The Eagles have not been a 14-point favorite since they beat the Jets 31-6 in 2019.
A big win here would put the Eagles in rare company of covering back-to-back games as a double-digit favorite. That is not something the Eagles have done since the 1970 merger. The last team to do it was Buffalo in the final weeks of the regular season last year. The Bills covered both games by one point. Can Houston at least keep this one entertaining for a while before losing by 14?
Of course, Houston will have to survive the second-quarter smash job the Eagles have been laying on teams all season.
Players to watch in the Eagles vs. Texans game
Philadelphia Eagles
Miles Sanders: Every running back is a must-play pick for fantasy and props when they play the Texans this year. Rushing for over 100 yards and multiple touchdowns is realistic against this defense. Sanders has only done that once this year against Jacksonville, but he could be in store for a huge night here.
Houston Texans
Dameon Pierce: If the Texans have any hope in this one, it won’t be forcing deep passes to Brandin Cooks against Darius Slay and James Bradberry. Rookie back Dameon Pierce is going to have to control the clock with consistent gains on long drives to keep the Eagles on the sideline. On the plus side, the Eagles rank 29th in yards per carry allowed. They just never trail after the two-minute warning of the first half, so teams rarely continue running the ball against them.
Our Best NFL Bets for the Eagles vs. Texans game
We have two NFL Week 9 predictions for this Thursday night matchup that could be over early.
Eagles vs. Texans Point Spread Pick: Eagles -13.5 (-115)
The Eagles vs. Texans spread opened with the Eagles as a 9.5-point road favorite before moving significantly to 13.5, if not 14 or higher for the NFL’s last undefeated team.
The spread is deserving in this mismatch. The Eagles can run the ball very well in a variety of ways, and the Texans just cannot stop it. The Eagles can also throw the ball way better than Houston, which will be facing a much tougher pass defense. The Eagles would have to suffer a massive letdown to blow this game.
But it is rare to see a team favored by two touchdowns on the road in the NFL. Since 2002, only 42 road teams have been favored by at least 13 points. Those teams are 35-7 SU and 19-22-1 ATS.
The Texans have been competitive this year. The only game they lost by more than 10 points was the 38-20 loss to the Raiders where they actually were leading going into the fourth quarter. The Raiders outscored them 21-0 in the fourth quarter, adding a late pick-six to inflate the score.
You definitely worry about a backdoor cover in a game like this one, especially with the way the Eagles take the foot off the gas in the second half. But with Houston having such a hard time scoring this season, it is hard to imagine the Texans surpassing 17 points in this one, if they even get that many. So, if the Eagles can just score 28 or 31, they should be fine for the cover here for your NFL bet of the week to kick off Week 9.
But if you are that concerned about the backdoor cover, you could always just play the Eagles to cover the first half spread (-7). Philadelphia has scored more points in the second quarter (126) than the Texans have scored in seven full games (116).
Remember to check out our NFL picks page for more betting tips.
bet on NFL with betmgmPlayer Prop: Jalen Hurts Anytime Touchdown Scorer (-115)
Philadelphia running back Miles Sanders (-140) has the best odds to score a touchdown in this game, but he still makes you weary at doing that after finishing 2021 with zero scores on 163 touches. But Sanders does have five scores this year and the Texans have allowed 10 rushing touchdowns in seven games.
But the better value play should be quarterback Jalen Hurts, who is the team’s best short-yardage runner. Hurts has thrown six touchdown passes without a rushing score over the last two games but count on that to reverse this week since the opponent is Houston. Hurts scored a rushing touchdown in four of the first five games this season, including two games with multiple scores. The Houston defense has already allowed four runners to score multiple touchdowns in a game this season.
All but two of Hurts’ 19 rushing touchdowns in his career have come from 7 yards or closer. Sanders has just nine touchdowns from that close to the end zone in his career. Hurts is the preferred option for the Eagles near the goal line. Let’s back him to do it again with an early score on Thursday night.
Bet on NFL with caesars >Frequently asked questions about the Eagles vs. Texans game in Week 9
The game is being played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
Under Sirianni since 2021, the Eagles are 9-4-1 ATS (69.2%) as a favorite, the fourth-best record in the league during that time.
You can always check out our player prop picks and daily NFL predictions.