NFL preview week 11: Houston Texans head to Baltimore for Ravens showdown

With 10 weeks now over and done with, it’s about this time of the season that the real Super Bowl contenders flex their muscles and prove why they are considered as candidates to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

The Seattle Seahawks knocked off the San Francisco 49ers by a field goal to put an end to the 49ers undefeated season on Monday night. The California franchise still have the best record in the NFC while Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots are the best in the AFC with their 8-1 record.

Here we look ahead at the fixtures in Gameweek 10.

Houston Texans @ Baltimore Ravens; Sun 17 Nov, 6PM

The first of a number of hotly anticipated games taking place this weekend. The Ravens are listed as 4.5 point favourites with GiveMeBet but it’s worth remembering that the Texans are one of the form teams in the league at the moment. Bill O’Brien’s team have won four of their last five games.

Both franchises had big wins last time out with their quarterbacks proving to be the catalyst.

Deshaun Watson completed 22 of his 28 throws last week with two TDs to his name. The Texans beat the Jaguars on a scoreline of 26-3. MVP candidate Lamar Jackson was a one man highlight reel in the Ravens 49-13 victory over the Bengals.

Baltimore have the best offense in the league, averaging 33.3 points per game. Former Heisman Trophy winners Jackson and Mark Ingram have been punishing defenses with their running game. DPOY candidate JJ Watt is out for the rest of the season for the Texans which should open the field up more for Jackson’s receivers.

This should be a high scoring game and over 49 points is in play in the O/U betting. We’re backing the Baltimore Ravens (-4.5) at 51/50 with GiveMeBet for this one.

New Orleans Saints @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Sun 17 Nov, 6PM

These NFC South rivals meet for the second time this season. They faced each other back on October 6th and on that occasion the Saints came out on top on a scoreline of 31-24.

The Bucs star receiver Mike Evans didn’t touch the ball that afternoon with Sean Payton putting the shackles on him in typical Saints fashion. Surprisingly, Evans is still averaging over 100 yards receiving per game and he will be hoping to rectify his statless performance come Sunday evening.

Tampa Bay have performed much better than their 3-6 record suggests. Their six defeats have come on an average margin of just over seven points and that’s including a recent OT loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The Saints are the second favourites to be Super Bowl champs, currently listed at 13/2 with GiveMeBet. However, last time out they were embarrassed by the lowly Falcons. That was the Saints’ first home loss of the season.

Looking ahead to this one – there is a lot on the line for both franchises. The Saints will need to get back on the saddle after that 26-9 defeat to the Falcons while the Bucs need a win to keep their faint playoff hopes alive.

Tampa Bay will most likely be favourites for four of their remaining six games of the season so a win here could be crucial to build some momentum for a playoff push.

Back the Bucs (+5.5) @ 25/27 with GiveMeBet.

New England Patriots @ Philadelphia Eagles; Sun 17 Nov, 9:25PM

A repeat of Super Bowl LII. That finished 41-33 with the Eagles lifting the Lombardi Trophy back in February 2018.

This is one of the most talked about games of the whole season with a refreshed Patriots team heading to Pennsylvania to take on Carson Wentz & Co. Both New England and Philly last played in Week 9. The Ravens ended New England’s undefeated season that week while the Eagles improved to 5-4 with a win over the Bears.

How do we predict this one? Belichick’s teams usually beat the spread in the week after a bye while the Eagles have won three of the last four at home. The Eagles like to control the tempo of the game and they will keep the ball on the ground for much of the game – the Patriots struggled with the Ravens’ rush offense the last time out.