Texans Lions Pick, Thanksgiving Betting Preview

November 23, 2020 - Brenden Deeg

The Detroit Lions are home underdogs as they host the Houston Texans for the first game of the Thanksgiving slate. The Texans are coming off their first win against a team other than the Jacksonville Jaguars, while the Lions are coming off their first shutout loss since October 18, 2009.

Check out my lineup of five Lions Texans prop bets as well.

The Lions have lost three of four, and Deshaun Watson is playing terrific football. I like the Texans to cover -2.5 and we ignore Houston’s lame 2-9 ATS run in 11 recent Thursday games.

Texans Lions Pick, Odds: Detroit +2.5, Total 51.5 (Monday at BetRivers) | Matchup Report

Why the Texans will cover the spread

Deshaun Watson was at his best in Week 11 with 28 completions, 344 yards and 3 TDs in an impressive win against the New England Patriots. He made three or four big-time throws that not many QBs in the NFL can make. He is quietly having a tremendous season.

Houston’s 3-7 record doesn’t reflect how good their offense has been. They currently rank 11th in pass offense DVOA, and have scored 25 or more points in four of their last six games. The Lions are also playing some horrible football. They were shutout last week, and have a -51 point differential in their last four games.

Why the Lions will cover the spread

The Lions had one of the worst losses of the NFL season. They were shutout on the road 20-0 by the Panthers, and only had 185 yards of total offense. Head coach Matt Patricia took a lot of heat from the media after the game, and his future is definitely in question.

It looks like Kenny Golloday will be good to go for the Lions. He was limited in practice on Monday, and all signs are trending towards him starting. The Texans pass defense is still amongst the worst in the league.

They rank 28th in DVOA, and their pass defense ranks 22nd. The Lions are at their best when Matt Stafford is slinging the ball around.