Texans vs. Chargers Score Prediction for NFL Week 9 (Can Houston Bounce Back After Bye?)

The Houston Texans return from their bye to visit the winless Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday afternoon.

The Texans won their first two games of the season in Weeks 5 and 6, but were then upset at home by the Giants in Week 7. They had last week off, and a great chance to bounce back on Sunday.

The Chargers have yet to win a game or even cover the spread through seven games this season. They returned from their bye with a 24-9 road loss to the Rams last week.

The Texans beat the Chargers 20-16 late last season.

Using the latest odds and analysis, here’s where I’m leaning for this Week 9 matchup with a final score prediction.

Texans vs. Chargers Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Texans -4.5 (-115)
Chargers +4.5 (-105)

Moneyline

Texans: -225
Chargers: +185

Total

40.5 (Over -118/Under -102)

Line Movement: The spread has increased by a point from -3.5 to -4.5 since the odds opened for this game, with the total dropping two points from 42.5 to 40.5, although the OVER 40.5 is now favored.

Texans vs. Chargers Final Score Prediction

SI Betting’s Iain MacMillan broke down this game in his Road to 272 Bets column, in which he picks each game every week:

If you're one of those people who continue to bet on the Chargers because of your preseason priors or because "they have to cover at some point, don't they?", then stop. Take a step away, and maybe opt not to bet on any Chargers game for the rest of the season.

Blame who or what you want, but this is the worst offense in football, ranking dead last in both EPA per play and success rate, worse than every other team you can think of. It's a dire situation in Los Angeles, and now they have to take on one of the better defenses in the NFL that's coming off a BYE week.

The Texans' offense has also been fairly strong this season as long as Nico Collins is healthy enough to be on the field.

I'll continue to fade the Chargers.

Pick: Texans -4.5 (-115) via DraftKings

I’ll happily join MacMillan in fading the Chargers again. Sure, this game is in Los Angeles, but the Texans are coming off their bye week and are 2-1 on the road this season.

Houston has to start its uphill battle right now if it wants to climb back into the playoff picture. The Texans should be able to win by at least a touchdown this week.

Final Score Prediction: Texans 23, Chargers 13

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