The struggling St.Louis Rams host the Houston Texans, Sunday Dec 20, as the Rams still search for their first win on home soil. These two have met twice with each team splitting the results. NFL oddsmakers at BETREPUBLIC.com have the Texans as -11.5 point road favs over the Rams with the over/under set at 43.5 points.

The Texans (6-7) beat Seattle 34-7 at home in Week 14 and sit last in the AFC South, hoping for a wild card slot. QB Matt Schaub made 29 of 39 passes for 365 yards with two TD’s and an interception; overall he’s thrown for 3,814 yards with 24 TD’s and 13 interceptions for a 98.2 passer rating. RB Ryan Moats had 10 carries for 43 yards with a TD, while WR Andre Johnson made 11 catches for 193 yards with two TD’s. The Texans defense denied the Seahawks on three trips to the red zone, resulting in seven points.

The Texans fourth ranked pass game, led by WR Andre Johnson’s 1237 yards receiving and eight TD’s, is going to eat up the Rams 19th ranked pass defense . DE Leonard Little leads the Rams with 6.5 sacks. They were dealt a blow to their ground game with the season ending neck injury to RB Steve Slayton. They are more of a passing team, but RB Chris Brown might be able to move the Chains against the Rams 27th ranked rush defense. The Texans have averaged 26.3ppg and allowed 21.7ppg in their last three games. They are 3-3 SU on the road where they average 24.8ppg and give up an average21.5ppg.They are 6-6-1 ATS and 4-9 over/under.

The Rams (1-12) lost at Tennessee 7-47 in Week 14. QB Kyle Boller sat out with a thigh injury and is listed as questionable for Sunday. QB Keith Null made 27 of 43 passes for 157 yards with one TD and five interceptions. RB Kenneth Darby had one carry for 51 yards, while RB Steven Jackson had 19 carries for 47 yards. WR Brandon Gibbs made six catches for 43 yards, while WR Randy McMichael caught their lone TD pass. The Rams had 12 drives in the game, six ended with punts and five were halted by interceptions. The Rams are a running team, but they too are dealing with an injured back. RB Steven Jackson is suffering from back problems and is listed as probable for Sunday . Their 15th ranked running game will go head to head with the Texans 20th ranked rush defense. DE Mario Williams leads the Texans with 8.5 sacks. The Rams have averaged 11ppg and allowed 30.3ppg in their last three games. They are 0-6 SU at home where they average 14.3ppg and allow 32ppg. They are 6-7 ATS and 7-6 over/under.

Recent Trends to Consider:

* Texans are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games in Week 15.
* Texans are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 road games.
* Rams are 3-15 ATS in their last 18 games after allowing more than 30 points in their previous game.
* Rams are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games in Week 15.
* Over is 5-1 in Rams last 6 home games.(source:points-spreads)