Texans (3-4) at Vikings (3-4)
No offense in the NFL is as hot as the Houston Texans, who look to continue their recent surge Sunday at Minnesota, with the Vikings 4.5-point favorites on WagerWeb.com.
How good has the Houston offense been since Matt Schaub missed a game due to illness? Well, the Texans are averaging 29.2 points in their last five games (one without Schaub), and Schaub has nine touchdowns, two interceptions, 73.6 completion percentage and a 114.8 passer rating in the past four games; Houston has won the past three of those.
And no one is hotter than Texans WR Andre Johnson, either. In October, Johnson had 41 receptions, 593 yards, two touchdowns and 14.5 yards per catch. With 130 yards against the Vikings, Johnson would become the first receiver in NFL history to pull off the feat in five consecutive games. If he records 10 receptions Sunday, Johnson will also set a record for consecutive games in double digits. For the season, he has 56 catches for an NFL-high 772 yards.
Minnesota isn’t very strong against the pass, ranking 20th in the league. But the Vikings are great against the run, allowing just 70.7 yards per game to rank second in the league. Houston has thrown the ball 49 more times (244 attempts) than it has run it (195).
The Vikings will get safety Madieu Williams this week. He had yet to play this season due to a neck injury after signing a big free agent deal to leave Cincinnati.
The Texans’ defense must contend with Adrian Peterson, the NFL’s second-leading rusher. The Texans have improved against the run but still allow 119.6 rushing yards per game, and Peterson has gone over 100 yards in his past two games.
Minnesota totaled a season-high 439 yards in its last game, a loss to the Bears. Though he threw four interceptions, Gus Frerotte was 25-for-40 for 298 yards and two touchdowns. Peterson ran 22 times for 121 yards and two TDs.
Houston is coming off its best defensive game of the season in a 35-6 win over Cincy. The Texans held an opponent to a single-digit point total for the first time since last season’s opener and allowing a season-low 253 yards. Of course, that was the Bengals.
The Texans have won four straight only once, taking their last two games of 2006 and the first two of 2007. Minnesota won the teams’ only previous meeting, that coming in 2004.
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