Ravens vs. Texans odds, props, predictions: AFC Divisional Round features two electrifying MVP-candidate QBs

Sitting at home last weekend must have been soothing and relaxing for the AFC’s top seed, the Baltimore Ravens (13-4). At least until Browns QB Joe Flacco threw his second pick-six vs. the Houston Texans (11-7) and the score of that wild card round game ballooned to a 45-14 rout of Cleveland.

From that point on it has been obvious that this Saturday’s AFC Divisional Round showdown will be far from a walk in the park at home for the Ravens. Despite the spread in favor of the birds (and an O/U of ), Texans rookie QB C.J. Stroud seems poised to give his squad a legit chance at reaching the conference championship if he comes close to replicating his mega-efficient playoff debut of 274 yards passing and three TDs on 16-for-21 passing.

Lamar Jackson and the Ravens must hope that the bye week they earned doesn’t result in a slow start on Saturday, or they might find themselves in an unanticipatedly bad situation — just like the Browns did during their Wild Card Weekend dismantling in H-Town. Whether or not that will be the case remains to be seen, but either way there are definitely some AFC Divisional Round bets worth considering before kickoff.

Texans vs. Ravens odds: Point spread, moneyline, total

Here are the latest Texans vs. Ravens point spreads, totals and moneylines on odds boards at top-rated sportsbooks:

More: Super Bowl Futures Odds | Best NFL Betting Promos & Bonuses 

Texans betting news: Stroud’s hot play propels Houston deeper into postseason than most anticipated

Houston is 9-8 ATS in 2023 and has gone just 6-11 vs. the O/U. They’ve been a surprise to plenty of folks who didn’t anticipate that they’d advance the farthest of any playoff team from Texas. 

Brilliant minds like yours truly thought that the Texans were going to be in a bad spot offensively for the rest of the season after breakout star WR Tank Dell’s breakout rookie season abruptly ended by way of a ghastly leg injury, but that hasn’t been the case at all. 

Last week’s rout of the Browns introduced folks who haven’t watched much of the Texans this year to their big-play offense, the kind that can produce 76-yard touchdown strikes like the one Stroud lasered to Brevin Jordan that started to put the game out of reach for Cleveland.

Stroud was injured against the Jets in Week 14 and subsequently missed a portion of that game as well as Weeks 15 and 16. Striking that stretch from the record, since the Texans are quite a different team without their ascending phenom QB, Houston has won their last three games in a row ATS. 

Related: Texans vs. Ravens opening odds

Ravens betting news: AFC’s top seed has been great ATS, but not when it’s more than 7

The Ravens hit on some key personnel moves since last season, and their 11-6 ATS record reflects that. It turns out that featuring Odell Beckham Jr. and Zay Flowers as your starting WRs helps the offense a bit more than having Demarcus Robinson, an aged DeSean Jackson and/or Devin Duvernay leading that positional group. Lamar Jackson’s MVP odds sit at -20000 because of the kind of play he has sustained this year with more talent featured in his offensive unit. 

Let’s ignore Week 18 vs. the Steelers when Jackson and other key players sat out in order to stay healthy for the playoffs. Baltimore went a cushy 6-2 ATS between Week 9 and Week 17.

That tidbit might entice fans to make their AFC Divisional Round bets for this game lie on Baltimore’s side, but there is a huge caveat involved with the Ravens for this contest: In the last three years, Jackson has gone an eye-popping 1-9 ATS in games in which Baltimore has been favored by 7 or more points.

The Ravens will certainly need some explosive plays if they’re to cover points on Saturday. While Baltimore’s offensive core is more talented than in years past, they’ll have to show out to avoid going to 1-10 in games they’re favored by more than a tuddy in.

Texans vs. Ravens props

Here is a sampling of Texans vs. Ravens props for bettors to consider.

Texans vs. Ravens player props

Some analysis as sportsbooks post player props for this contest:

• Dalton Schultz UNDER receptions: The Texans target shares have been hard to peg all season long, and their TE situation has been no exception to this ongoing mystery. Schultz had one catch for a 37-yard TD last week, and his counterpart Brevin Jordan’s only catch was a 76-yard score. It’ll be hard to anticipate which (if either) TE will be more involved with the Houston passing attack this week.
• C.J. Stroud OVER passing yards: The Texans are two games away from appearing in the Super Bowl for the first time, and it’s not because they’re employing a “safety first” kind of offensive game plan. Houston will go as far as their rookie QB will take them, and that is definitely going to involve taking deep shots throughout the game and creating openings for big plays using the same misdirection packages that kept Cleveland’s defense from mounting pressure against them last week.

Texans vs. Ravens betting prediction

Bold bettors this week will take the Texans ML, but those opting for medium rather than extra spice on their AFC Divisional Round bets might favor taking Houston ATS this week. In a game that will likely feature a fair amount of field goals (another interesting prop bet to consider), winning by more than points is going to be a tall order for the Ravens even though they’re well rested and have home field advantage. Lamar Jackson’s 1-9 record in games with more than a 7 point spread is a sizable and hard trend to ignore.

Pick: Texans