Denver Broncos at Houston Texans Pick

The Denver Broncos and Houston Texans will try and keep their slim playoff hopes alive as they meet in Houston on Thursday. Both teams won last week but probably need to win out to have any chance of making the playoffs. The Broncos are two games behind San Diego in the AFC West with three games left. A loss this week and a San Diego win over Detroit would eliminate the Broncos. The Texans are barely alive in the Wild Card race as they trail Cleveland by two games for the last spot. The loser of this game will eliminated from the Wild Card chase if Cleveland beats Buffalo on Sunday. SBG Global reports that early NFL betting has the public taking Broncos on the Road.

Neither team has a favorable schedule the rest of the way. The Broncos are at San Diego and then have to play Minnesota in their finale while the Texans still have to play Indianapolis and Jacksonville. "We're not worried about anyone else," Denver tight end Daniel Graham said. "If we don't take care of our business, nothing is going to happen." The Broncos are coming off a 41-7 win last week against Kansas City. They outgained the Chiefs 453 yards to 129. "It's a shame that we couldn't start from Week 1 with this type of explosiveness,' said receiver Brandon Marshall, "But everybody has their days and everybody has their seasons. So, hopefully we can keep this thing going and sneak into that playoff hunt. If not, we'll just take our momentum into the next season.” Quarterback Jay Cutler completed 20-of-27 passes for 244 yards, and had a career-high four touchdowns. Selvin Young rushed for a career-high 156 yards on 17 carries.

SBG Global Current Line: Broncos -1.5 , Total 47.5

Houston has won three of their last four home games. They won 28-14 last week against Tampa Bay. "I am just so proud of the effort of these guys," said Houston coach Gary Kubiak, "We've got some problems. We've got enough guys nicked up to fill a couple of rooms, but the heart of this football team and the direction of the future of the young kids is just so bright." Quarterback Sage Rosenfels finished 27-of-36 for 209 yards with three touchdowns in his second start of the season for Houston. Rookie running back Darius Walker rushed for 46 yards on 16 carries and had 35 yards receiving. He took over for Ron Dayne and is expected to get most of the action on Thursday. "He went in there and it was nothing spectacular, but he was very solid,' Kubiak said about Walker, "I'm proud of the kid. It's a step forward."

Houston and Denver have only met once previously with the Broncos winning three years ago 31-13.

Here are the NFL betting stats for Thursday’s game. The Broncos are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 vs. AFC. The Broncos are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games in December. The Broncos are 5-13 ATS in their last 18 games on grass. The Broncos are 5-16 ATS in their last 21 games overall. The Broncos are 3-11 ATS in their last 14 games as a favorite. The Broncos are 1-5 ATS vs. a team with a losing record. The Broncos are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 road games.

The Texans are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games as a home underdog. The Texans are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 home games. The Texans are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games in December. The Texans are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games overall. The Texans are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 vs. the AFC.

The Over is 7-0 in the Broncos last 7 games in December. The Over is 7-0 in the Broncos last 7 vs. a team with a losing record. The Over is 5-0 in the Broncos last 5 road games. The Over is 10-2 in the Broncos last 12 games as a favorite. The Over is 5-1 in the Broncos last 6 road games vs. a team with a losing home record. The Over is 14-3 in the Broncos last 17 vs. the AFC. The Over is 17-4 in the Broncos last 21 games on grass. The Over is 19-7 in the Broncos last 26 games overall. The Over is 9-4 in the Broncos last 13 games as a road favorite.

The Over is 8-1 in the Texans last 9 games in December. The Over is 8-2-1 in the Texans last 11 games as an underdog. The Over is 8-3 in the Texans last 11 games as a home underdog.

Pick: Broncos 5 units out of 5, for more NFL Picks discussion visit the NFL Betting Forum