Patriots vs Texans Prediction & NFL Odds for Week 5

• The Texans are inefficient without Tyrod Taylor
• Patriots offense looked sharp against the Bucs
• Patriots need to improve on their running defense

In the fifth week of the NFL regular season, the New England Patriots (1-3) travel to NRG Stadium to take on the Houston Texans (1-3,) with kickoff set for Sunday at 1 pm EST.

The Patriots are entering this game coming off the heels of a slim, 17-19 loss against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and they are aiming to bounce back quickly from this close loss.

The Houston Texans hope to get their second win of the season after losing horribly in a messy 0-40 game against the Buffalo Bills last week.

Betting Odds & Lines for This Game

• Spread: NE -9.5 (-110) | HOU +9.5 (-110)
• MoneyLine: NE (-400) | HOU (+300)
• Total: 39.5 — Over (-110) | Under (-110)

All odds listed are courtesy of (PointsBet | Caesars | DraftKings | Fanduel | BetRivers)

Patriots vs Texans Prediction: Spread

The Patriots are heavy favorites for this game, as the Texans as a whole have been struggling immensely without Tyrod Taylor. Mac Jones put up a good fight against Tom Brady last week, so I expect him to rack up the points in this game, especially against a weak Houston defense. Bet the Patriots to cover the spread.

• Free Prediction: New England Patriots to cover the spread (-9.5)

Patriots vs Texans Prediction: MoneyLine

This game should be a fairly easy win for the Patriots. They held their own last week against Tampa Bay, and if it weren’t for a failed 56-yard field goal attempt with just under a minute left on the game clock, they might have even won.

There is a reason why the Patriots are favored to win this game by over a touchdown, and that reason’s name is Davis Mills. As Tyrod Taylor is still out for at least a few more weeks with a hamstring injury, Mills is set to start as the Texans’ quarterback, and to put it gently, he has not been playing well. In last week’s game against the Bills, Mills completed 11 out of 21 passes and passed for 87 passing yards. He also threw a whopping four interceptions.

Tweet #PepsiROW + @MacJones_10 to vote! https://t.co/uNqLbTJ7FU

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 5, 2021

In general, the Texans have been struggling. Mills and the rest of Houston’s offense have been unable to create plays and move the football in an effective way. Their defense has also been ineffective in stopping their opponents, especially on the running game.

Houston has a lot of things to work on, but their biggest problem right now is Mills. If he can’t improve and step up his game, the Texans are going to keep losing until Taylor is able to start again.

The Patriots are facing a much easier opponent after holding their own against Tom Brady last week. Mac Jones put up a good performance against the greatest of all time, completing 31 of 40 passes, and passing for 275 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Their passing defense is one of their strongest assets, even though their rushing defense is a little bit rough.

Ultimately, Mills and the Texans don’t have what it takes to defeat a Patriots team that looked sharp last week, even while playing against the greatest quarterback of all time in the heavy rain. Bet the Patriots for this Week 5 game.

• Free Prediction: New England Patriots -400

Patriots vs Texans Prediction: Total

The total for this game is currently set at 39.5. I think this is kind of a low total, especially considering that the Patriots came shockingly close to beating the Buccaneers last week.

I think that their offense will be effective, especially against the Texans’ defense, and more specifically, running defense. The oddsmakers are undecided for this game, but I would bet the over for this game, as I think a total of under 40 combined points is low.

• Free Prediction: Over -110

Bet on This NFL Game

Check out this post for a full list of our weekly NFL predictions.

Bet the Props

Enter the team or player you’d like to find prop bets for and search below.