Among the eight early-afternoon NFL games this Sunday is an AFC matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans. The outlooks for these two teams with three weeks remaining in the regular season are drastically different. Although the Texans are the side who enters this matchup off a win, they are still in the hunt for a top-three pick in next year’s draft. Meanwhile, the Chargers will look to get back on track and avoid what would be a devastating loss with regard to their playoff aspirations. The NFL betting odds have installed the visitors as a double-digit favorite ahead of this Chargers vs Texans matchup.
The following Chargers vs Texans NFL betting preview will give you the current odds, betting trends and picks for the Week 16 matchup, along with a stream link to watch games all season long.
Chargers vs Texans Week 16 NFL Betting Preview
NFL Regular Season — Week 16
Los Angeles Chargers (8-6, 4-2 Away) vs. Houston Texans (3-11, 1-6 Home)
Date: Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021
Time: 1 p.m. EST
Venue: NRG Stadium — Houston, TX
Coverage: Click here for the stream
Los Angeles Chargers Preview
After suffering a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last Thursday, the Chargers are now facing a steep climb with regards to winning the AFC West Division. However, a Wild Card remains very much in play for Brandon Staley’s team. Of course, it will be paramount that the Chargers take advantage of Sunday’s favorable NFL betting matchup. Justin Herbert continues to impress in his sophomore season. He has led Los Angeles to a top-three ranking in adjusted offensive efficiency. Both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams have the potential to dominate the weak Houston secondary.
The primary concern for the Chargers’ offense again this week is the health of lead running back Austin Ekeler. He split the workload evenly with Justin Jackson last week and has yet to practice beyond a limited capacity ahead of Sunday’s game. In addition, Ekeler was added to the virus list which further clouds his status for Week 16. To his credit, Jackson averaged 6.6 yards per carry last week. No matter who leads the L.A. backfield on Sunday, there should be plenty of running lanes to be found against what has been an awful Texans run defense all season long. Concerning the Bolts’ defensive secondary, both Derwin James and Asante Samuel Jr. were able to get in limited practice sessions on Wednesday after suffering injuries in last week’s game.
Houston Texans Preview
Despite having a massive NFL betting line move go against them, the Texans had little difficulty in defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars by two touchdowns last week. Unfortunately, the win likely will prevent Houston from having any shot at drafting No. 1 overall next spring. Concerning that high draft pick, the Texans appear to be set in stone on giving rookie QB Davis Mills every possible opportunity to show them something down the stretch of this season. Despite Tyrod Taylor returning to practice in full, coach David Culley declared Mills the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. Now, the accuracy of his comment that Mills gives Houston “the best chance to win” is another story.
One hurdle that Mills may be forced to try and overcome is the absence of top wideout Brandin Cooks. The star receiver was placed in virus protocols earlier this week, leaving his status for Sunday’s NFL betting matchup in doubt. A matchup against the stout Chargers pass defense is also far from ideal. While opponents were largely able to exploit L.A. on the ground earlier in the year, the Chargers have shown drastic improvement in stopping the run over the past month. Then again, the Texans don’t have much of a ground game to speak of either. When a 31-year-old Rex Burkhead is carrying the ball over 15 times, that typically isn’t a great sign. Yes, that actually happened last week, and no, Burkhead was not effective whatsoever (2.6 yards per carry).
Chargers vs Texans NFL Betting Odds and Spread
NFL betting odds for Chargers vs Texans are taken from BetMGM Sportsbook.
Moneyline: LAC: (-450) | HOU: (+325)
Spread: LAC: -10.5 (-110) | HOU: +10.5 (-110)
Total: 46 — Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)
Public (Spread) Betting via Action Network: LAC: (77%) | HOU: (23%)
Chargers vs Texans NFL Betting Trends
- Four of the Chargers’ last five games have gone over the total.
- The total has gone over in six of the Chargers’ last seven games after playing on a Thursday.
- Texans are 4-8 ATS in their last 12 games.
- The total has gone under in eight of the Texans’ last 12 games.
- Chargers are 5-2 SU and 6-1 ATS in seven previous head-to-head matchups against the Texans.
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Chargers vs Texans Stats
- Los Angeles is averaging 27.1 points per game (PPG) this season (No. 7 in the NFL).
- Los Angeles is surrendering 26.4 PPG this season (T-No. 27 in the NFL).
- Houston is averaging 14.8 PPG this season (No. 31 in the NFL).
- Houston is surrendering 26.6 PPG this season (No. 29 in the NFL).
Chargers vs Texans Prediction
This Chargers vs Texans NFL betting prediction uses NumberFire’s game projections. They give Los Angeles a 74.3% chance to win this Week 16 matchup.
