Houston Texans Betting Preview: Few Reasons for Optimism in Houston as Culley Comes In

An 0-4 start a year ago sunk the Houston Texans pretty quickly and spelled the end of Bill O'Brien's tenure in Houston. Will things be better this year under new coach David Culley? Don't expect much.

Houston Texans 2021 Schedule and Futures Odds

To keep up with the Texans' results and updated futures odds throughout the 2021 NFL season, check out our dedicated Houston Texans page.

Houston Texans 2021 Futures Odds

• Super Bowl LVI Odds: +55000
• Odds to Win the AFC Championship: +15000
• Odds to Win the AFC South: +2500
• 2021 NFL Season Win Total: OVER 4 (-120), UNDER 4 (+100)
• Odds to Make the NFL Playoffs: YES +710, NO -1200

Houston Texans odds are via BetOnline Sportsbook as of Wednesday, September 8, 2021.

Houston Texans 2021 Schedule

Date, Matchup, Time, and TV Broadcast Information

Week 1

Sunday, September 12, 2021: vs Jacksonville Jaguars, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS

Week 2

Sunday, September 19, 2021: at Cleveland Browns, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS

Week 3

Thursday, September 23, 2021: vs Carolina Panthers, 8:20 p.m. ET, NFL Network

Week 4

Sunday, October 3, 2021: at Buffalo Bills, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS

Week 5

Sunday, October 10, 2021: vs New England Patriots, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS

Week 6

Sunday, October 17, 2021: at Indianapolis Colts, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS

Week 7

Sunday, October 24, 2021: at Arizona Cardinals, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS

Week 8

Sunday, October 31, 2021: vs Los Angeles Rams, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX

Week 9

Sunday, November 7, 2021: at Miami Dolphins, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX

Week 10

BYE WEEK

Week 11

Sunday, November 21, 2021: at Tennessee Titans, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS

Week 12

Sunday, November 28, 2021: vs New York Jets, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS

Week 13

Sunday, December 5, 2021: vs Indianapolis Colts, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS

Week 14

Sunday, December 12, 2021: vs Seattle Seahawks, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX

Week 15

Sunday, December 19, 2021: at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS

Week 16

Sunday, December 26, 2021: vs Los Angeles Chargers, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS

Week 17

Sunday, January 2, 2022: at San Francisco 49ers, 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS

Week 18

Sunday, January 9, 2022: vs Tennessee Titans, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS

Houston Texans 2021 Season and Betting Preview

Key Additions and Subtractions

Additions

• WR Chris Conley
• QB Tyrod Taylor
• QB Davis Mills
• DE Jordan Jenkins

Taylor has been named the starter over Deshaun Watson, while Mills has the talent to be a starter down the road. Conley has some speed and is supposed to replace Will Fuller. He can do that job. Jenkins had only two sacks last season, his last season with the New York Jets, but he totaled 15 in the two seasons prior. If he can return to his 2018 and 2019 form, this is a solid move.

Subtractions

• DE JJ Watt
• WR Will Fuller V
• LB Bernardrick McKinney

Watt is going to go down as one of the best defensive players in the history of the game, but his best years are clearly behind him. Fuller was a decent speed option at receiver, but he never played a full season, and a fresh start will benefit both sides. McKinney made a lot of tackles, but he was not worth breaking the bank to keep. The Texans have a bad roster, but it would not have been all that much better if these guys were still around.

2021 Season Preview

Taylor can be reasonably effective running an offense, and he is very mobile so they will not have to take that out of their game plan. He is more of a game manager though, so don't expect him to put up the numbers that Watson has. Brandin Cooks is a good intermediate target, but it is going to be tough for the Texans to create big plays with the personnel they have.

Houston's defense was bad last season and should be again. They have turned over some roster spots, but improvement will not be significant, if there is any improvement at all. Bradley Roby is a quality corner, but you need more than one of those to build a decent defense. Corner Terrance Mitchell was brought in from Cleveland to play opposite him. The secondary is the strength of the defense, but that is not saying much.

It will be tough for the Texans to match last season's four wins, even if Watson regains his starting job at some point. Even if he does, there is so much negativity around the team, and the roster is not nearly talented enough to compensate for it.

2021 Betting Preview

The Houston Texans look like the worst team in the league, so there is not much value on their futures.

The win total may merit a wager, but it comes down to how many times you think the Texans can beat the Jaguars. If you think they can get both of those games the over becomes possible. If you think they lose both games, go with the under. I see a split there, and I also see the under as the best option either way. Who are they going to beat on the road, and other than Jacksonville, who can they be expected to beat at home?

Prop to consider: Tyrod Taylor to win Comeback Player of the Year (+5000)

There are not a lot of prop opportunities with Texans players for this season, but this is an intriguing one now that Taylor has been named the starter in Houston. I think he can play reasonably well, and one thing about this award is that you don't really need to be on a winning team. If he starts most games and is efficient, this is good value.

Final Thought

There are a lot of reasons to be down on the Texans, especially from a betting standpoint. At this juncture, betting on them to have the worst record in the league has a lot of value. Culley has a lot of work ahead but little to do that work with as of now.