Houston Texans vs. Arizona Cardinals Player Props (10/24/21)
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The Houston Texans who have one win this season, travel to Arizona to play the NFC West leading Cardinals, who are looking to start the season 7-0. Arizona has won six straight games for the first since 2015. The Texans are allowing 34 points per game on the road while the Cardinals are averaging 32.3 points per game during their undefeated start to the season.
Arizona is listed as a 17.5-point favorite. This season the Texans are 3-3 against the spread. These two teams also have a recent history of transactions. In 2019, the Texans traded superstar wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals for David Johnson and draft picks. After being released by the Texans in February three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt signed a two-year contract with the Cardinals a few weeks later.
Houston Texans Vs. Arizona Cardinals Player Prop Search Tool
Kyler Murray o2.5 Passing Touchdowns
Arizona’s multi-dimensional quarterback Kyler Murray is arguably the NFL MVP after six games this season. Murray is the first Cardinals quarterback since 1950 with a 100 + passer rating in five of the team’s first six games of a season.
The number one overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft has thrown for 1,741 yards and 14 touchdowns; averaging 290.2 passing yards per game in leading the Cardinals franchise to their first 6-0 start since 1974. Additionally, the 2018 Heisman Trophy winner has rushed for 116 yards and three scores for the undefeated Cardinals: accounting for 1,863 yards of total offense and 17 touchdowns for Arizona in 2021.
Overall, the former Oklahoma Sooner has accounted for 17 of his team’s 22 offensive touchdowns.
The Texans have allowed 71 points in their last two road games, and I don’t see scoring being an issue for the Cardinals. The Houston defense has allowed three quarterbacks to throw for at least two touchdowns in a game this season (Trevor Lawrence, Josh Allen, and Carson Wentz). Trevor Lawrence is the only quarterback to throw three touchdown passes against Houston this season and that was in the first week of the season.
With one of the strongest arms in the NFL, Murray is averaging 2.3 touchdown passes per game in 2021. I think Murray will stay close to that average and throw three touchdown passes in a route of Houston; going with the over on touchdown passes of 2.5.
DeAndre Hopkins o69.5 Receiving Yards
Arizona’s DeAndre Hopkins is certainly a player who knows how to get to the endzone, scoring 66 touchdowns in 132 career games. He’s the first Arizona player with at least six touchdown receptions in the first six games of a season since 2015 (Larry Fitzgerald); accounting for 27.3% of the Cardinals offensive touchdowns.
Along with all those touchdowns, Hopkins has 10,376 career receiving yards. On the season Hopkins has 26 receptions for 367 yards with an average of 14.1 yards per catch.
Targeted 38 times this year (6.3 per game), Hopkins is averaging 61.2 receiving yards which is 17.4 yards off his career average of 78.6. I think the former Texan will look to remind his former team of what they once had. Number 10 in your program will fly high for the Cardinals and have 95 yards receiving, going over 69.5 receiving yards.
Mark Ingram o40.5 rushing yards
Houston’s Mark Ingram has rushed for 285 yards in his first season with the Texans; only 14 yards less than he ran for last season in nine games. The 2009 Heisman Trophy winner has run for 47.5 yards per game, seven yards more than the over/under for Sunday’s contest. Averaging 55.1 rushing yards per game in his career, the three-time Pro Bowler has rushed for more than 40.5 yards in four of six games this season.
He’ll be facing a Cardinals defense that is 23rd in the NFL against the run, allowing 128 yards per game.
Although I expect the Cardinals to win this game in a blowout, I think Ingram will rush for 52 yards; going with the over of 40.5 rushing yards. Most of that yardage will come in the first half before the game gets away from the Texans and they’ll have to put the ball in the air.
