Texans open as favorites against Panthers in Carolina in Week 8

Welcome! I hope you’re well-rested after the bye week. Did you ice down whatever needed icing down? Refresh your snack drawer? Your secret snack drawer?

Oh, none of you have a secret drawer full of snacks? Sure. I’ll pretend too.

But here’s something that you can’t pretend: how real the Houston Texans have become in the eyes of Vegas.

Now this is probably, in their eyes, them seeing just how bad Carolina is, but still to be favored away from home is no small feat.

The Texans have the opportunity to do something they haven’t done since Week 1 of the 2021-22 season: have an above-.500 record.

So let’s get to this week’s opening line, brought to you by DraftKings Sportsbook.

So how about that, all y’all fans of a -3 favorite team? How’s it feel to be a fan of a favorite?

Opening Odds for Week 7

Points

FAVORED: Houston Texans (-3)
UNDERDOG: Carolina Panthers (+3)

Note: For those of you who aren’t aware of the meaning, the points are a handicap system. So in this case, imagine the game and before the kickoff even happens, someone has spotted the Carolina Panthers 3 points.

So basically a point line, in this case, is giving the Panthers a 3-0 head start. And the Texans have to win by at least four points to beat the spread. If they beat them by less than three points, the Panthers win the bet. Since the spread is a whole number, if the Panthers lose by three in the game, the bet would end with a push (or draw).

Over/Under: 41.5

Note: This one is pretty straightforward. You decide whether you think the total combined score will be more or less than 41.5 points.

Moneyline:

Houston Texans (-155)
Carolina Panthers (+130)

Note: This one is a little more complicated. The best way to imagine it is if you have $100 to bet initially. If you bet your $100 on the Panthers and they win the game, you get $230 (your initial $100, plus the $130 from the win). If you take the Texans moneyline, you have to bet $155 to win $100 for a total of $255 ($155 initial bet, plus the $100 you get from the win).

For entertainment purposes only. Please do not take financial advice from a football blog.

Go Texans.

Go Astros.