It is wildcard weekend in the NFL 2024 season as the playoffs get underway with a double header in the AFC on Saturday evening. We begin with the fourth and fifth seeds as the Houston Texans host the Los Angeles Chargers.
Houston go into this match having won the AFC South but they have limped towards the playoffs whereas the Chargers have won more matches and marched towards the postseason so they will fancy their chances of a road win.
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans have been on course for hosting this game for a while such was the ease with which they won the AFC South but they had a tough Christmas period which saw them lose a couple of matches and while some of the intensity might have gone by knowing they had the division title in the bag, you still feel it was important that they got over the line against the Tennessee Titans last week just to boost their morale going into this do or die clash.
This is the second season in succession that the Texans have been in the playoffs so that is one positive for them, as is the fact that they have home advantage. They have had a few issues with their offense this term in terms of players missing with injury and that has probably attributed to their run of losing five of their last nine matches. Their defence has never really been taken apart though so if they can find some quality on offense they could cause an upset here.
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Los Angeles Chargers
It would have been one of the immediate aims of the Los Angeles Chargers to get back into the postseason when they employed Jim Harbaugh. That was never going to be an automatic thing with the Kansas City Chiefs in their division and from an early stage it looked like they were going to need a wildcard to get in, so it is to their credit that they were able to achieve that and do so in the fifth seed spot which means that they have a match they could feel comfortable in.
The Chargers had a bit of a wobble around Thanksgiving for a couple of weeks but they look to have got themselves back on track with three straight wins to go into the postseason with, although the last two wins probably didn’t tell us a whole lot. The Chargers built the foundations of their success on defensive play earlier in the season but the longer the campaign has gone on their offense has begun to flourish and they have put up 34 points or more in each of those last three wins.
Betting
I was interested in seeing what the point spread would be for this match because these two went in opposite directions towards the end of the regular season with the Los Angeles Chargers finishing with a flourish and the Houston Texans really struggling and with the in mind I’m encouraged by the fact that we can get a decent price on the Chargers to cover a 2.5 point line. When you consider the divisions these two played in, for the Chargers to have won more matches tells you they have the better team.
I guess the one thing that you could say for the Texans is they were here last year so they have recent playoff experience but the Chargers have the recipes usually given for success in the playoffs in that they have a solid defence and they can run the ball. They also have a quarterback who can get the job done should this turn into a shootout. I’m a bit worried about the Houston offense. It has gone off the boil a little too much for me at just the wrong time so with that in mind, I’m happy for the Chargers to cover 2.5pts here.
Tips
Back Los Angeles Chargers (-2.5) to beat Houston Texans for a 3/10 stake at 1.85 with BetVictor
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