Texans vs Broncos Prediction: Denver can make it six-straight

Not many people would have predicted Denver & Houston being a live game on Sky Sports a month ago but these two sides are legitimately firmly in the play-off hunt.

@NFLGirlUK previews the early game this Sunday evening for us here at Betfred Insights and we have a couple of bets for you to consider…

One of the most anticipated games of the week is surprisingly the Denver Broncos and the Houston Texans. Denver are currently riding a five-game winning streak and above .500. Meanwhile, Houston has definitely found their quarterback of the future in CJ Stroud, giving them a chance to win any game in front of them.

Starting off with the Broncos, they are getting it done in a way that isn’t flashy or appealing. The bottom line is that they just keep finding new ways to win with stout defense and not inflicting punishment on themselves over in the offensive end.

Russell Wilson has been limiting his turnovers while helping Denver push the ball down the field with Courtland Sutton really emerging as the team’s top receiving threat.

When you look across this roster, you might be wondering how in the world they have won five straight. After all, this is the same defense that gave up 70 points to the Miami Dolphins earlier in the season. Yet at the same time, this isn’t that same group, despite being the same personnel on the field. Head coach Sean Payton has inspired the guys in this locker room, and an inspired locker room is really difficult to beat.

As for the Texans, it all lives and dies with CJ Stroud. Stroud’s explosiveness at the quarterback position literally gives them an opportunity to win any game that the Texans get themselves into. He’s not afraid to take big shots down the field, he has tremendous chemistry with the receivers around him, and he doesn’t often turn the ball over.

On top of that, the run game has really ramped itself up following the team’s decision to utilise Devin Singletary at a level that’s more or similar to Dameon Pierce.

Now, in all seriousness though, the Texans do need more consistency from their defense. Just because Stroud is capable of dropping 30 plus points on a weekly basis, doesn’t mean that he’s going to want to do that week in and week out. They are also coming off a tough divisional loss that they will want to bounce back from, especially now that they’re still behind in the division race.

When I’m looking at this matchup, I think that this is a game where the Broncos could get a win. The reason for that is because of their experience, leadership, and defense.

Denver’s D has been steadily improving each week, and it’s been keeping them in games when their offense gets slowed down. The Texans defense doesn’t feel as consistent right now, and if the Broncos can limit Stroud’s explosive plays, then they have a genuine opportunity.

Not to mention that Denver doesn’t turn the ball over a lot, at least not during this winning streak they have going on. If neither team shoots themselves in the foot by committing nasty turnovers, it’s not hard to envision a game where the Broncos come out on top. In fact, this matchup could easily end up being on the lower scoring end. Then again, betting against Stroud has been unwise this season.

Broncos @ Texans Odds:

The form of the Houston Texans has most certainly been favourable in recent weeks and even though Denver are riding a quite surprising five-game winning streak, the market has them as a 3.5pt underdog heading into Sunday’s encounter.

Straight up you’ll find Houston available at 4/7 with 7/5 the price on Russell Wilson leading his side to a six-straight victory.

The over/under line has been set at 47.5pts, which certainly feels high to me and that brings me nicely on to my first bet in this one.

Bet 1 – Total Points Under 47.5 @ 20/23

Yeah I’m taking the under in the opener on Sky this Sunday evening. Houston have only hit the overs once this season when the line has been above 45 and in five of their past six, Denver has been a winner for those betting the under.

CJ Stroud and explosive plays will be the key with this selection as if the ever-improving Denver D can limit these, then the unders has a great chance of landing.

Bet 2 – Denver to win on the Money Line @ 7/5

I thought about playing a prop line with the second selection but if I’m leaning one-way in the match result market and they are the underdog, that is the route I should take.

Backers of the Broncos would have received a whopping 142% Return on Investment betting on them in road games so far in this NFL season. They are riding the joint-best winning streak across the league and it is clear Sean Payton is having an ever-increasing influence over his team. Take the underdog in this one in southern Texas.

Remember to check out our NFL Betting Tips index page where we preview games live on Sky Sports…