A pair of teams that have scuffled out of the gate and are recently coming off of bye weeks will go head-to-head in Sin City as the Houston Texans welcome in the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon. It is time to check out our NFL odds series where our Texans-Raiders prediction and pick will be revealed.

Currently standing at a 1-3-1 record, the Texans came into the bye week with all smiles as they became the last team in the league to finally win a game. With the defeat over their AFC South counterparts in the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Texans will attempt to continue on with their new-found momentum out on the road where they have compiled a 1-2 record as visitors thus far.

As for the Raiders, their bye week most likely consisted of a lot of self-reflecting in the mirror. Standing at 1-4 and facing a must-win scenario with their season on the line, can head coach Josh McDaniels motivate his troops to begin the process of an epic turnaround in order for their 2022 season to be relinquished?

Here are the Texans-Raiders NFL odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NFL Odds: Texans-Raiders Odds

Houston Texans: +7 (-114)

Las Vegas Raiders: -7 (-106)

Over: 45.5 (-112)

Under: 45.5 (-108)

Why The Texans Could Cover The Spread

While it hasn't been the dream start that head coach Lovie Smith and company had envisioned, securing their first win a couple of weeks ago against a Jaguars team that has shown glimpses has to be a good feeling. Even though the Texans may be staring straight into a rebuilding mode of sorts, Houston has proved that they have a slew of young and promising pieces to build upon in the years to come.

In what would be a gargantuan win for this organization, Houston's main priority for this upcoming weekend should be to feed halfback Dameon Pierce as much as possible. The rookie fourth-round pick out of Florida, it seems that the Texans found an absolute gem in their workhorse of a running back. With a tenacious type of running style that makes defenders quiver when attempting to bring down the 218-pound back, Pierce has given life to an offense that has at times struggled to get anything going. Evidently, the more Houston rewards Pierce with touches and plans the offensive attack around him, the better shot they should have at covering the spread.

The biggest difference-maker for the Texans in this one will be whether or not QB Davis Mills can avoid turning the ball over and instead make smart decisions throughout his passing progressions. At times, Mills has shown off his talent and the possibility that he can be a respectable starter in this league, but he still needs to possess more of a disciplined playing style if he wants to succeed at the professional level.

Why The Raiders Could Cover The Spread

Just win, baby! The famous words of legendary and longtime former owner Al Davis are ringing as true as ever for this Raiders squad.

In order to send the home fans at Allegiant Stadium with a joyous attitude by garnering a spread-covering victory, Las Vegas needs to right their wrongs and play a complete 60 minutes of stellar football, which is something that has evaded them up to this point. On paper, it appears that this Raiders team is far too talented to be sitting at 1-4, but a slew of boneheaded mistakes, some questionable play calling, and a knack to not coming through when it matters most has haunted this Las Vegas squad.

Be on the lookout for the Raiders to finally have a breakthrough performance, as each of their four losses has come by a frustrating 3.5 points. Not only that, Vegas needs to do a better job of finishing, as far too often have they jumped out to commanding early leads only to see them squander it in the later going. If the Raiders want to avoid another dismal and disappointing showing, it will be extremely important to keep their foot on the gas.

Similarly to the Texans' running back room led by Dameon Pierce, expect the Raiders to do much of the same with their star halfback in Josh Jacobs. Over the course of his last two games, Jacobs has endured some of the best couple of outings of his career as he has accumulated a whopping 298 yards on the ground and will surely be a focal point of the Raiders' offensive attack.

Final Texans-Raiders Prediction & Pick

No doubt about it, this matchup between two squads in the cellar of the AFC will prove to have major implications for both sides and their attempt to get their seasons turned around in a positive direction. However, there are doubts that Houston will be able to score enough points if this game turns into a shootout. Take the Raiders and their ability finally close out a game as they should win in dominating fashion.

Final Texans-Raiders Prediction & Pick: Raiders -7 (-106)