A rivalry has grown between the Houston Texans and New Orleans Saints simply because the 2010 preseason marks the third year in a row the franchises practiced and played against one another in the exhibition season. Head Coaches Kubiak’s and Payton’s men have been knocking heads over the course of the last week, and now it’s time for the NFL point spread odds players to see how these squads stack up against one another.
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Houston Texans vs. New Orleans Saints
Game Date/Time: Saturday, August 21st, 8:00 ET
Game Location: Superdome, New Orleans, LA
TV/Radio Broadcast: Local TV, Sirius

NFL Odds: Houston Texans (+1) -110 vs. New Orleans Saints (-1) -110: Over/Under 41

The Texans looked well on their way to the first win of their 2010-11 NFL betting campaign winning 16-0 with just 8:30 remaining, but the Arizona Cardinals shocked football bettors by rattling off 19 unanswered points to score the exhilarating 19-16 come-from-behind outright victory.

Losing the game in that fashion was the last thing troubling Texans Coach Jim Kubiak, as the teams 2nd round draft choice, running back Ben Tate, went down with what turned out to be a season ending ankle injury. The Auburn product was drafted to aid in turning the Texans 30th ranked rushing attack around.

That leaves Steve Slaton, Arian Foster, and Jeremiah Johnson in the mix for the top slot; the three combined to rush for 86 yards on 19 carries last week. Luckily, Houston sports one of the most prolific passing attacks in the league spearheaded by quarterback Matt Schaub. He and his favorite target, Andre Johnson, hooked up for a 44-yard TD pass and catch last week.

The defending Super Bowl Champion Saints fell by a field goal in last week’s battle at New England, but the final margin of defeat and NFL point spread odds loss will most certainly be the last thing keeping the Saints coaching staff up this week.

Yes, they did churn out 300+ yards of total offense, but the defense was far from stellar. It allowed the Patriots to rack up 329 combined yards, convert 6-of-13 third down attempts, and forced no turnovers. That certainly wasn’t the recipe to the franchise’s success from a year ago.

Don’t tell undrafted linebacker Jonathan Casillas that this is the preseason, as the former Wisconsin Badger led the team in tackles with 10. If the rest of the team plays with the high motor he exhibited, it should improve upon last week’s stats vs. the Texans.

NFL Insider Tip: Though they were only scrimmages, Houston seemed to really take it to New Orleans throughout the week from the press clippings I read. The franchise has some lofty expectations for this upcoming season, with the main goal of finally qualifying for the playoffs. Head Coach Kubiak would love nothing more than to instill even more confidence into his team by stamping a victory over the defending champs on their 2010-11 resume.

Though this will be the first time they play in front of their home crowd since winning Super Bowl XLIV, I don’t foresee New Orleans being able to just feed off its crowd’s energy and pull out the victory.

On top of that, the Saints are a bankroll burning 4-16 their L/20 preseason home games against the NFL point spread odds, and they blew the doors off the Texans at Reliant Stadium last season. Houston’s in payback mode and the road team has won each of the L/3 meetings in this series. Grab the point with Schaub and company!

My NFL Preseason Predictions: Houston Texans (+1) -110

Source: BetUS Locker Room Featured on: Handicapperspicks.com

Related posts:

1. New York Jets vs. Houston Texans Preseason Point Spread & Pick: August 15th 2011
2. Minnesota Vikings vs. New Orleans Saints Prediction & Odds: September 9th 2010
3. Dallas Cowboys vs. Houston Texans Prediction & Odds: September 26th 2010
4. Cowboys vs. Texans: NFL Pre-Season Betting Odds & Pick: August 28th 2010
5. Saints vs. Raiders Point Spread: NFL Preseason Picks for August 28th 2011