Houston Texans

2005 Stats

2005 Season Summary

The Houston Texans entered the 2005 campaign coming off seasons of slow but steady improvement which led many to believe that head coach Dom Capers had the Texans on the cusp of a wild card playoff run in the AFC. Houston 's inaugural expansion season of 2002 saw them post a 4-12 record, which was followed by marks of 5-11 and then 7-9 in 2004. The Texans had yet to post a losing season against the football betting boards in any of these campaigns.

Another “sure thing” that blew

The 2004 season did end with some disappointment, however, as the Texans blew a chance for a .500 season at home as 9.5-point chalks against dead in the water Cleveland . If ever there was a “can't miss” game, many figured this would be it. And yet the game proved to be a great gambling education about another “sure thing” that blew as the dead men playing Browns prevailed 22-14, which served as a portent for things to come.

Poor form continued in preseason

One thing that the Texans were known for by expert pro football bettors was their terrible efforts in the preseason. In their first three years of existence Houston was 2-11 straight up and 3-10 against the spread during exhibition play. It stood to figure that this would not change as Houston would want to stay healthy for the regular season and that touted wild card berth.

The exhibition opener was at home against Denver and the Texans were installed as 1-point chalks against a Bronco team that was a seventy-percent play in their previous five preseasons combined. The stark contrast in exhibition trends held firm as Denver got the cash in a 20-14 win.

Next was a home game against fellow preseason slacker Oakland . The Texans were a 3-point puppy against the Raiders, who were a useless twenty-percent play against the spread on the exhibition road the previous five seasons. Houston got the win and cash 19-17.

The Governor's Cup game at Dallas followed and the Texans were, again, 3-point dogs. The Cowboys dominated 21-9. The exhibition finale was at Tampa Bay , who blew out the Texans 38-14 as 3.5-point chalks. Houston 's poor form continued in preseason as they finished 1-3 both straight up and against the spread.

Looking punch less

Houston opened the regular season at Buffalo against a Bills team that was touted as a fellow wild card contender. Buffalo was notorious as a tough place to open the season at and the Bills were hefty 6-point chalks, which enticed more than a few gamblers Houston's way. It proved to be a trap as Buffalo won easily 22-7.

Next was the home opener against Pittsburgh , a favorite to take the AFC crown. The Steelers were 5-point chalks and won with ease 27-7 as Houston entered an early bye week looking punch less at 0-2 both straight up and against the spread.

Collapse complete

Capers was in full panic mode as he fired offensive coordinator Chris Palmer, replacing him with Joe Pendry in the hopes of jump-starting the attack. The Texans traveled to Cincinnati to face the up and coming Bengals, who were installed as hefty 10-point chalks. If ever a team would be able to be relied upon to deliver a maximum effort, it would be Houston in this situation as they were coming off a bye with their new OC and fighting for their lives. It was a good spot for bettors because in addition to all of that 3-0 Cincinnati would likely not take the Texans all that seriously. Houston fought hard in a 10-16 loss, getting the cash.

Next was a seemingly winnable home game against rebuilding Tennessee . The Texans were installed as 3-point chalks but were embarrassed 20-34. Next came a road trip to Seattle where the Texans were installed as 9.5-point dogs against the resurgent Seahawks. Houston was blown out of the park in a 10-42 humiliation. This was followed by a home game against the undefeated and rolling Indianapolis Colts. Incredibly enough, gamblers saw something that is extremely rare, a 14.5-point home dog. The oddsmakers were BEGGING gamblers to take Houston , and those who fell into the trap were burned in a most cruel fashion as Indianapolis covered the spread by with a 38-20 win to make the Texans' collapse complete.

Houston became a bargain dog

Houston now stood at 0-6 straight up and 1-5 against the spread and was coming off the indignity of not being able to cover a 14.5-point spread as a home dog. The Texans were now completely written off by the masses, which immediately transformed them into a bargain dog for savvy gamblers who know that eventually the oddsmakers will create a sports betting market correction that makes even the worst of football teams valuable.

Houston next hosted Cleveland and was installed as an odd 1-point chalk against the hard fighting Browns, who gave their rookie coach Romeo Crennel continuous maximum effort. The line was a trap, as the wrong team appeared to be favored but Houston got the game and cash 19-16.

The Texans next traveled to Jacksonville to meet up with the 13.5-point chalk Jaguars, who were contending for the playoffs. Houston again proved to be a bargain dog with a 14-21 loss/cover.

A rematch with the Colts at Indianapolis followed as the rolling Colt machine was installed as a whopping 17.5-point chalk. This time Houston got the cash in a 17-31 loss for their third straight win against the football betting boards, to stand at 4-5 against the number for the season.

Houston 's improvement brought down their value

Houston 's improved play and effort began to bring down their value as the playoff minded Kansas City Chiefs visited the following week as 7-point chalks, covering easily 45-17. The struggling St. Louis Rams visited next and won 33-27 as 3.5-point chalks.

Houston entered the home stretch standing at 1-10 straight up and 4-7 against the spread and totally unwanted by the masses. Once again written off, the Texans responded with three consecutive wins against the spread, all as pups, with two away and one at home. With their value restored somewhat, they were blown out by Jacksonville 's scrubs 38-20 to blow apart more than a few bankrolls. In the “Reggie Bush Bowl” at San Francisco the following week, Houston “won” by losing 17-20 as 1-point dogs.