New York Giants at Houston Texans, Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX
Sunday, October 10, 2010, 1:00 pm EST, TV: FOX
Opening Line: Texans -3.5
Current Line: Texans -3
Opening Total: 48.5
Current Total: 47.5
Money Line: Texans -150 / Giants +130
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The New York Giants (2-2) got a victory they desperately needed last week in dominating fashion and will now try to win consecutive games for the first time this season when they visit the Houston Texans (3-1) on Sunday. The Giants set an NFL record with nine sacks in the first half and finished with 10 in a 17-3 rout of Chicago but face a much bigger challenge away from home when they take on the Texans (-3 on the current NFL betting odds).
New York took a lot of criticism following back-to-back losses to Indianapolis and Tennessee by a combined 43 points. But the Giants bounced back nicely against the Bears, using a swarming defense to knock quarterback Jay Cutler out of the game at halftime. However, that win may serve as a mirage to anybody who watched it on national television last Sunday night because it still does not change the amount of injuries the team is dealing with that only seems to increase.
Running back Ahmad Bradshaw suffered an ankle injury against Chicago while safety Kenny Phillips hurt his knee, adding to an already long list of wounded players for New York. Starting center Shaun O’Hara (ankle) remains out, and his replacement Adam Koets sprained his MCL against the Bears but still expects to play at Houston. Defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka also continues to miss time with a bulging disk in his neck, although fellow defensive end Osi Umenyiora showed no signs of his knee injury with three sacks of Cutler last week.
The Texans are coming off a 31-24 win at Oakland last week and will be getting reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Brian Cushing back after he missed the first four games of the season due to a suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. Cushing will only help improve one of the league’s best run defenses, allowing just 62.2 yards per game on the ground.
Offensively, Houston has shown the ability to win games by running and passing so far. Running back Arian Foster leads the NFL in rushing with 537 yards even though he did not start last week against the Raiders because he broke team rules. The Texans ran for over 200 yards as a team for the second time in four games at Oakland and beat Washington three weeks ago by throwing for nearly 500 yards. Quarterback Matt Schaub could be without wide receivers Andre Johnson (ankle) and Jacoby Jones (calf) due to injuries, making the running game even more important.
The defensive secondary has been a major concern for Houston and could be tested by Giants quarterback Eli Manning. The Texans rank dead last in the NFL, surrendering 337.8 yards per game through the air. Manning threw for a season-high 386 yards in a 29-10 loss to Tennessee two weeks ago when the running game was ineffective and might be forced to do the same thing here against another AFC South opponent under similar circumstances.
New York has dropped the last two regular-season meetings with Houston both straight-up and against the spread. The UNDER has cashed in both of those games with the winner scoring no more than 16 points.
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