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Week 9 of the NFL is season is already upon us! The Houston Texans take on the Miami Dolphins in what will be a battle between two below-.500 teams. It's time to continue our NFL odds series with a Texans-Dolphins Week 9 prediction and pick.
The Houston Texans will finally get their starting QB, Tyrod Taylor, back this week. Taylor played extremely well in Week 1 but once again got the injury bug, forcing him to miss time. Now that he is back that opens up the Texans' offense and will allow them to utilize a different game plan. Taylor used his legs and escapes the pocket very well. He hardly turns the ball over and that will help the Texans big time. They have a lot to improve on, but getting Taylor back is a huge step.
For our conversation about Texans-Dolphins on the Establish the Pass podcast, click below:
As for the Dolphins, they might be one of the more disappointing teams of the 2021 season. Both of these teams sit at 1-7 on the year and are on seven-game losing streaks. They both won their first game of the season, but since then are a combined 0-14. This is definitely not one of the more compelling matchups this week.
Here is how the bookmakers have set the Texan-Dolphins odds for Sunday.
NFL Odds: Texans-Dolphins Odds
Houston Texans: +5.5 (-105)
Miami Dolphins: -5.5 (-115)
Over: 46 (-114)
Under: 46 (-106)
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Why The Texans Could Cover The Spread
The Texans could cover this spread because they have their starting QB back. He won the first game of the season for them and will likely put them in a position to do so again. Both of these teams forgot how to win at this point in the year so it's going to be a battle between who wants it more. It's easy to give up when you know you won't make the playoffs, but you can't fault your chances as a pro. I expect Taylor and the Texans to come out firing on all cylinders.
Why The Dolphins Could Cover The Spread
The Dolphins can cover this spread if their defense gets back to it's usual self. Last year this defense forced a ton of turnovers and even scored points themselves. We aren't seeing much of that at all this season and it's resulting in them giving up a ton of points each week. Taylor won't be an easy task to stop and so the Miami defense will once again be in for a tough test.
Tua Tagovailoa will need to have a big game if they want to win. The Texans can sneak past them pretty easily if Tua doesn't perform well. The trade deadline is now in the rear-view mirror and so that should relieve a ton of pressure off of Tua. He actually gets a chance to play against the team he likely would've been traded to if the Deshaun Watson deal went through. Now that it was all speculation and nothing happened, Tua can focus on the Dolphins and look to get them back into the win column.
Final Texans-Dolphins Prediction & Pick
I expect the Dolphins to find a way to win this game. It's going to take a touchdown to secure the spread and I think the Dolphins will do just that. I can see this being a high-scoring game and so I would also consider the over as well. If both of these teams score early, then it could be a shootout with how poor the defenses have been playing.
FINAL TEXANS-DOLPHINS PREDICTION & PICK: Dolphins -5.5 (-115) & Over: 46 (-114)
