If you cheated on a high school test, had a clear view of the smartest kid in the class paper as a test was being administered, the worst thing that could happen is you get acknowledged for your work and asked to share your insights with the rest of the class.
It wouldn’t take an experienced eye too long to see you had gained answers in a less than honorable way and your real knowledge would be exposed.
A similar scenario is available to National Football League teams. They can get a win one week, and the crowd rushes to their side the following Sunday thinking what they saw in the previous game is a true reflection of team talent. In fact, sometimes when a team gets a victory the previous week, they just happened to be on the field when their opponent lost.
Case in point; the Houston Texans.
Last Sunday, at Nissan Stadium, the Texans delivered a sour note for the fans of the home team in Music City. The Tennessee Titans came into that contest riding a six game winning streak and tossed their helmets on the field expecting they would meet the New England Patriots this week with seven wins in a row.
Didn’t happen that way.
The Texans hadn’t won a game since opening day when they “upset” the Jacksonville Jaguars as a home team underdog, 37-21. After a second week double-digit loss to the Cleveland Browns, a game that Houston won with the spread while getting two touchdowns on the line, the Texans came into Tennessee last Sunday on an eight game losing streak and losses in five of their previous seven point spread decisions.
Is it any wonder the Titans expected an easy victory last week?
Instead, the Titans, who had lost to the New York Jets before beginning their six game winning streak, looked like the inferior team on Sunday. They lost to the Texans, 22-13, in a contest that included Tennessee turning the ball over five times and being shutout in the first half, 12-0.
While the Titans will have to recover from this debacle, as they did after their embarrassing loss to the Jets in October, the Texans are treated this week on the point spread as if they had actually beat the Titans last week.
They didn’t … they were just on the field while the Titans lost.
This Sunday, the Titans are favored, and like the kid that cheated on his exam, they are forced to go on stage and show their real talent.
Their opposition this week is the Jets, a team that is now preparing for a team that won last week which both adds to their preparation to gain which most likely will result in their third win of the season. The Texans are favored this Sunday, which means the worst team in football is giving points on the spread.
Perfect time to bring the Jets in for a smooth landing.
Qoxhi Picks: New York Jets (+2½) over Houston Texans