Preseason football is always difficult to predict. There are inevitably injuries, trades that do not work out as well as initially expected, and coaches who burn out. Most coaches like to rotate players who are on the edge of being cut in and cut out during the first few weeks of the season in order to evaluate how the team is performing together. This makes it even more difficult to predict how games will go, the ways in which teams will perform, and what will happen during a particular game.
A New Coach and Renewed Uncertainty
This is certainly true for the upcoming Texans vs Packers game and the Houston Texans vs Green Bay Packers odds. The Houston Texans recently hired a new coach, David Culley, and fans and analysts alike have yet to see how he performs as a coach and shapes the team dynamic. Culley originally played for Vanderbilt. He was a quarterback in the SEC when racial segregation in the SEC was just starting to end. Culley has a lot of experience coaching at the NFL level though as he was the assistant coach, WR coach and passing game coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. However, it remains to be seen how he performs as an offensive coordinator in the NFL, as that will be a brand-new role for him.
Although the presence of Culley makes it difficult to ascertain exactly what the odds might be for the game, the Green Bay Packers remain an incredibly strong team. It is possible that Aaron Rodgers will not even be in the stadium during the first games of the season and it is also possible that Matt LaFleur will play as hard as he can because he knows how important it is for him to start the season off with a win.
Another Poor Season for the Texans?
On the other hand, the Houston Texans are somewhat easier to gauge because their team has been struggling organizationally for some time. The Texans are the only team in the AFC South that looks like it may have taken a step backwards in terms of performance.
The Texans have also made a number of trading decisions which sports analysts have found to be lacking. The Texans decided to sign a number of wide receivers to compete with the team, but it looks like only Chris Conley will actually be good enough to make the cut. Conley is tall, extremely fast and has the agility and skill to really stand out from the other wide receivers.
Finally, it looks like the Texans will struggle when it comes to their choices for quarterbacks. There was a point in the year when analysts were wondering if Deshaun Watson was going to be traded, but at this point, it looks like he will not be going anywhere this year. It is possible that Tyrod Taylor will take center stage during the year, but he is extremely prone to injuries. David Mills may end up picking up the slack and playing as the backup quarterback, which could lead to a long and messy season.
Looking Ahead to the Rest of the Season
Although you never know how a team will perform during a given game or season — and there can always be dark horse team or player to bring a poorly performing team to victory — it does look like the Packers are a much better bet. On the whole, the team is much more organized, professional and experienced than the Houston Texans, who seem to be struggling for a sense of identity and unity as a team.
The Packers have long been a dominant team in the NFL and their continued strength makes them a force to be reckoned with. One of the ways in which the Packers could falter however is if Culley decides that he wants to make a splash into coaching with showy plays and bold moves.
An upcoming game with more dependable odds is the game between the Baltimore Ravens against the New Orleans Saints. The Baltimore Raven’s head coach John Harbough loves to push his team to win in the first week of preseason football. On the other side, the Saint’s Sean Peyton is 8-8 during the year’s first preseason game. Over the last four seasons (apart from 2020), he was just 1-3 at the start of August’s scrimmage ball.
