Gameweek 5 SNF Texans vs 49ers

Week 5 – Sunday Night Football Sunday, Oct. 6th, 11:35 PM

Viewers are in for a special treat this Sunday with two games, one game in the traditional NBC 8:30 PM slot and another game that will start at 11:35 EDT due to a scheduling conflict with MLB’s ALDS. It’s a nice treat for bettors who are looking to bail themselves out or win more with some late night action.

Houston Texans at San Francisco 49ers -6 Total: 41.5

After winning their first two games at San Diego and Tennessee by slim margins, the Texans have dropped two straight games and are looking to right the ship after starting the season at 2-0. In Week 3 they were blown out at Baltimore 30-9 and then blew a 20-3 lead at Reliant Stadium against the Seahawks.

Matt Schaub has been a big reason for their struggles so far this season. He’s thrown six picks this year, including a 58 yard interception return that helped the Seahawks tie the game late. The good news for the Texans offense is that Arian Foster totaled 171 yards of offense last week after just gaining 227 in his first three games.

The 49ers looked to be the NFC’s best team after an opening season win against the Green Bay Packers in Week 1. However, San Francisco then went on to lose their next two games and were outscored 56-10 in the process. Last week, they dominated the Rams in a 35-11 victory at St. Louis.

Frank Gore rushed for 153 yards and a touchdown against St. Louis and Anquan Boldin caught five passes for 90 yards and a touchdown. Kaepnerick also fell out of his slump, throwing for 167 yards on 15 of 23 and threw two touchdowns.

The Line

The line on this has come down slightly from the -7 opening number and is listed at -6 at most shops. The total opened at 42.5 and is listed across the board at 41.5.

The Play

San Francisco looked impressive against the Rams last week but even though they dominated them on both sides of the ball, this is not the same 49ers team that went to the Super Bowl last season. Their defense has been porous all year long and one outing against a defeated Rams team is not going to change that. The same goes for the offense. Colin Kaepernick and Frank Gore have been miserable, just like the rest of the offense.

To be fair the Texans haven’t been much better, but they are getting 6 points. I think it’s more of a situation where Houston won’t lose the game by a lot, rather than they will win it. It should be a close game and could easily come down to a field goal. I’ll take the points.

I’ll take the points with the Texans on the road.

San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders +4.5 Total: 45

The Chargers head to the Oakland Coliseum to take on the Raiders in an AFC West matchup that had to be rescheduled due to AL Playoff game. This game is big for both teams but is especially important to the Raiders who hope to avoid a 1-4 start.

The Chargers have turned heads with their inspired play so far this season. Veteran quarterback Phillip Rivers and tight end Antonio Gates have led that charge. Rivers was exception last week, completing 35 of 42 passes for 401 yards and three scores in a 30-21 win at Dallas, putting the Chargers at 2-2 on the season.

The Raiders are 1-3 with their only win coming against lowly Jacksonville. Last week, they were without quarterback Terrelle Pryor who suffered a concussion against the Denver Broncos and was unable to play against the Washington Redskins. Oakland started quarterback Matt Flynn who was terrible in the 24-14 loss at Washington.

Pryor returns this week, but Oakland will still be without leading rusher Darren McFadden, center Stefen Wisnieski and fullback Marcel Reece.

The Line

The game opened at Oakland +3 and was hit with plenty of San Diego action pushing the line to +4.5. The total opened at 45 and is listed around that number or slightly lower.

The Play

Despite the line movement in Oakland’s favor, I love the Chargers in this one. Oakland’s defense is abysmal and Pryor is nothing special, even against a porous San Diego defense. While San Diego has surprised the oddsmakers and bettors alike this year, I still feel like they are underrated. This year’s team is different and is going to make some noise in this year’s weaker AFC.

Phillip Rivers looks like the All-Pro he once was and the offense is explosive. As we saw last week with Danny Woodhead’s two touchdown performance, Rivers will attack teams where they are vulnerable and find the matchups that are most exploitable. It’s hard to trust the Raiders to move the ball or to stop anyone. Their schedule included a game against Jacksonville or they would likely be 0-4 right now. Oakland could easily be the worst team in the NFL.

I will lay the points with the Chargers -4.5 on the road.