The Houston Texans need to get back on track in Week 5 of the NFL season, and to do so after three straight losses, there are players who are going to need to step up their games in a big way to snap a three-game skid.
Last Sunday, the Texans didn’t have many yards as a team, meaning their individual performances were one of the worst for this season as well. In the 40-0 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 4, Texans quarterback Davis Mills passed for 87 yards with no touchdowns and four interceptions.
Those numbers were his worst of the season, and the rushing game continues to struggle as well. The offense is a complete mess going into the fifth game of the NFL season, and with the Texans hosting the New England Patriots, things won’t be much easier as New England nearly defeated the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Sunday night.
Next are three prop bets that can stand out for the Houston Texans this Sunday in Week 5 as they try to battle for their second win of the ’21 season.
All odds listed come courtesy of WynnBet.
Houston Texans: 3 best prop bets for Week 5
3. Mark Ingram II UNDER 8.5 rushing attempts (-140)
Is this the week the Texans finally abandon Mark Ingram II as the lead rusher on this team, because so far it hasn’t worked out for the Houston Texans’ offense this season. It is obvious the current rushing situation for Houston isn’t working, and it is just plain terrible with this team playing poorly all around on offense.
The first two games of the season, Ingram had carry totals of 26 and 14 against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Cleveland Browns. Those games saw him have a total of 126 yards rushing, and the Texans were 1-1 in those games. Since then, Ingram has had two consecutive games of six carries each, totaling 21 and 24 yards against the Carolina Panthers and Bills.
Now the big question is how will the Texans use Ingram in Week 5? There is a chance he could get more carries than the 8.5 on the prop bet, but asking for that many carries, when it is likely he’ll share carries with David Johnson is a tough ask after what we’ve watched this season so far.
This prop bet just jumps off the page right now, and it is one to take a close look at for sure.
2. Mac Jones OVER 1.5 Touchdown Passes (-150)
This one is very interesting because of the Houston Texans offense, and not the offense of the New England Patriots. The reasoning for that is if the Texans are forced to many three-and-outs on offense, that will give Patriots quarterback Mac Jones more chances to throw two touchdown passes in this game.
The Houston Texans last Sunday saw their defense in some bad spots with poor field position due to the play of the offense, and why wouldn’t that happen again? It will take more than a week to fix what is hampering the Houston, which affects the defense of the Texans in a negative manner.
In 2021, through the first four games, the Texans have allowed six passing touchdowns, so that is fewer than two per game, but they are allowing 29 points per game this season.
Jones in four games in ’21 has four passing touchdowns, with two just once in a game, that being this past Sunday in the loss to the Buccaneers. This feat is doable for Jones, but also remember he was also held without a touchdown pass this season against the New York Jets defense.
This is the second rookie quarterback the Houston Texans have faced this season, with the first being Trevor Lawrence, so Jones could be in for a tough day if the Houston defense can perfect the defense called by defensive coordinator Lovie Smith.
What will be key to this game in terms of Jones getting two passing touchdowns is the amount of time Houston’s defense is on the field.
1. Davis Mills UNDER 18.5 completions (-130)
After what the Houston Texans offense exposed themselves to be last Sunday in the shutout loss to the Buffalo Bills, it is tough to see rookie quarterback Davis Mills being that much better this week as he continues to go through his growing pains in the NFL.
With this being his third start in the NFL, and after playing defenses like the Browns, Panthers and Bills, the Patriots aren’t as good as those units, but they aren’t bad either, so nothing is a given in this matchup.
Mills has completed 19 passes once this season, that being on Thursday Night Football against the Panthers, where he was 19-of-28 for 168 yards passing with one touchdown and no interceptions. It wasn’t the greatest day, and mistakes were made, but compared to how he played 10 days later, that was a much better start.
Last Sunday, Mills had just 11 completions on 21 attempts for 87 yards with four interceptions and no touchdowns. Mills needs a lot of time to improve his game, and he’s been thrown into this starter’s role by default when Tyrod Taylor was injured in Week 2.
In four games in ’21, the Patriots’ defense has allowed 70 completions, a average of 17.5 completions per game, so the numbers aren’t on the side of Mills in this one to have 19 completions in this game, but the great thing about the NFL is you never know what’s going to happen.
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