Texans vs. Patriots Best NFL Prop Bets for Wild Card Weekend (Fade Drake Maye Against Houston's Defense)

One of the most fascinating Divisional Round games is the showdown between the Houston Texans and New England Patriots.

The two teams are near mirror images of each other. The Patriots cruised through the season against an easy schedule with a high-powered offense but a subpar defense. The Texans, on the other hand, fought through a difficult schedule with an elite defense but a bad offense.

You can find out which team I'm backing in this week's edition of the Road to Super Bowl 60. In this article, I'm going to give you my three favorite props for this AFC showdown.

Texans vs. Patriots Best NFL Prop Bets

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Drake Maye UNDER 225.5 Passing Yards (-114)
Woody Marks OVER 57.5 Rushing Yards (-114)
C.J. Stroud to Throw an Interception (-125)

Drake Maye UNDER 225.5 Passing Yards (-114)

In this week's edition of the Player Prop Countdown, I ranked Drake Maye to go UNDER 225.5 Passing yards as my No. 2-ranked prop for the Divisional Round:

Drake Maye has faced easy defense after easy defense this season. The only two tough defenses he's had to face were the Cleveland Browns, which was a home game for the Patriots, and the Chargers last week, where he completed just 58.6% of passes.

Maye could be in for a rude awakening in the Divisional Round. The Texans' defense ranks first in opponent dropback EPA, second in opponent dropback success rate, and third in opponent yards per pass attempt, giving up just 5.7 yards per throw. The Texans have also given up just 181.3 passing yards per game.

Even if you think Drake Maye is an elite quarterback in the NFL, do you trust his receivers to create separation against this Houston secondary? I certainly don't.

Woody Marks OVER 57.5 Rushing Yards (-114)

It's clear that even when Nick Chubb is healthy, Woody Marks is now the primary running back for the Texans. He's coming off his best career game against the Steelers, rushing 19 times for 112 yards and a touchdown. The Texans would be smart to lean on their run game to try to keep Drake Maye and the Patriots' offense off the field as much as possible. That could lead to yet another big game for Marks.

C.J. Stroud to Throw an Interception (-125)

At some point in this game, C.J. Stroud is going to have to throw the ball, and when he does, he may run into trouble. The Patriots did a great job of blitzing the Chargers last week, wreaking havoc in their backfield. If they're able to do the same to the Texans, Stroud is going to throw at least one ill-advised throw that is likely to result in a turnover. He has thrown three interceptions in his last three games.

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You can check out all of Iain's bets here!