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| Denver Broncos | Houston Texans |
| 11-3 | December 22, 2013, 01:00 | Reliant Stadium | 2-12 |
The Denver Broncos lost a home game last Thursday to San Diego, but with help from elsewhere still held on to the top seed in the AFC standings.
Editor note: Wes Welker rules out for Broncos, watch for any line movement
Denver can get one step closer to locking down that No. 1 seed when it visits Houston to take on the hapless Texans Sunday at Reliant Stadium.
The Broncos got out-played Thursday by the Chargers, losing 27-20. But Denver caught a break Sunday when Miami beat New England, keeping the Patriots from taking over the top spot in the AFC.
Houston, meanwhile, has lost 12 games in a row, and just got held to three points in a loss at Indianapolis.
As of early this week Denver, which is 3-2-1 ATS this season as double-digit chalk, was favored by 11 points at Sportsbook over the Texans in Week 16 NFL betting action.
The Texans sit at 2-12 (3-11 ATS) on the season; in comparison, the Broncos are currently 11-3 (8-6 ATS). Looking to wager on the totals? Houston is 9-5 OU, and Denver is 11-3 OU.
View Denver Broncos vs Houston Texans Odds and Stats.
On the Sportsbook line for this matchup, the Texans sat as 9.5-point underdogs at shops such as Sportsbook. The total, meanwhile, has been pegged by the oddsmakers at Sportsbook at 51.5.
The OddsShark Power Rankings have the Texans at No. 28 and the Broncos at No. 6 heading into this contest. Handicapping models project a 36-17 result in favor of the Broncos.
Denver lost its last outing, a 27-20 result against the Chargers on December 12. The Broncos failed to cover in that game as a 10-point favorite, while the 47 combined points took the game UNDER the total.
How They Match Up:
The game also pits Houston's No. 29-ranked offense, averaging 18.07 PPG, against a Broncos defense that ranks No. 24 this week at 26.57 PPG. The Texans aerial game is averaging 245.5 yards per game, less than the Broncos secondary allows through the air, 266.14 YPG per game.
In comparing defenses, the Broncos own the league's No. 7-rated front 7 in terms of stopping the run, allowing 100.33 yards per game when on the road. Houston, on the other hand, rates No. 11 this week in generating rushing yards at home.
A few Broncos at Texans trends to consider:
Denver is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
Denver is 21-4 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Denver's last 15 games
Denver is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games on the road
Houston is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Houston is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Houston's last 7 games
Houston is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Next up:
Denver at Oakland, Sunday, December 29th
Houston at Tennessee, Sunday, December 29th
