Odds for Houston Texans to Win the Division
Despite their revamped roster, including a new franchise quarterback in second-overall pick C.J. Stroud out of Ohio State and a whole class of talented rookies, most analysts, fans, and pundits don’t expect Houston to put up much of a fight against their 2023-2024 slate of opponents. Vegas and the most popular sportsbooks also reflect this notion.
FanDuel currently has the Texans listed at +800 odds to win their division. Of course, it’ll be a long shot for Houston to surpass the reigning champion Jacksonville Jaguars in wins next season. The Jags just came off of a miraculous run in which they won their last five regular season games to secure a 9-7 finish and claim the AFC South throne.
AFC South Competition
Led by second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville’s offense caught fire in the second half of the season and continued their momentum into the postseason where they were able to upset the Los Angeles Chargers and Justin Herbert in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. Then, they came within one score of knocking off the eventual champion Kansas City Chiefs.
The Jaguars are nearly just as young as the Texans are but are clearly more established. While Houston had the more impressive draft by most analysts’ measure in 2023, Jacksonville came into the night planning to add more protection and weapons around their franchise quarterback and accomplished this goal.
Add in the return of star wideout Calvin Ridley Jr., and the Jaguars have a strong chance to have one of the most impressive offenses in the NFL next season and should be able to repeat as division champs with relative ease.
While +800 odds are certainly appealing, it would take a lot for the Texans to win the AFC South. Aside from Jacksonville, both the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts expect to be competitive next season as well. They’re listed by FanDuel at +380 and +500 to win the division respectively, much better odds than what was given to Houston.
Over/Under Win Total for Houston Texans
While the Texans are not expected to compete for the AFC South crown, they could be a more dangerous team than most expect them to be. Without the incentive to tank for one of the top picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, Houston should be motivated to try to win as many games as possible and garner as many meaningful snaps for their young players as possible in the upcoming campaign.
With a relatively soft schedule due to their record in 2022-2023 and lucking into drawing the NFC South as their interconference matchups, the Texans have plenty of chances to beat up on opponents at their level or perhaps even below them. FanDuel has set their over/under for regular season wins at 6.5, with +116 for Houston to eclipse that number and -144 for them to fall below.
With games against the likes of the Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, and Arizona Cardinals, the Texans should be able to pick up a few wins throughout the 2023-2024 NFL season. If C.J. Stroud can live up to his draft hype and Will Anderson Jr. can lead a defensive renaissance in Houston, the Texans might just shock the NFL world next season.
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