Every year in the NFL, there are up-and-coming teams … young squads that are definitely on-the-rise - teams to watch closely. Consider the Houston Texans, a perennial doormat for much of its time as a member of the NFL the Texans have been building something the last couple of years - a team that can win.
That’s not a joke. Houston has the look of a football team ready to step up - big time. Solid drafts the last two years have helped to give the team a strong - and young - defense. Offensively, Houston has been able to score with anyone as they proved repeatedly during the 2008-2009 Season.

The team has solid special teams play and is also well-coached. Add it all up … the Houston Texans of the upcoming 2009-2010 Season figure to be a winning team … perhaps a BIG winning team. If you’re a fan of Texas’ other team, the new season could - and should - give you lots of thrills, chills, excitement … and happy moments. Who knows … Houston, which plays in the very, very tough AFC South could pull a few surprises on the other teams in its division, teams like the Titans. Jaguars and that team in Indianapolis - the Colts.

Now, divisional games against three difficult opponents will eat up six of the 16-game schedule. That’s pretty close to half the games they get to play all season. So the Texans need to be competitive against their divisional neighbors to have any chance at a successful season … and, perhaps, a trip to the playoffs.
But this team has been improving for awhile and many experts are predicting stellar play from them in 2009-2010. The ingredients are all in place - a good, solid nucleus of talented young players … a growing confidence in their collective ability based on the caliber of their recent play … a knowledge and belief that they “belong” and can play with - and beat - teams like the Titans, jaguars and Colts.

There’s no doubt … they’ll be exciting to watch. But will they provide the same excitement to fans who bet on them? As is always is the case when it comes to wagering on NFL games, there’s no easy answer. Houston’s improved recent play on the gridiron means that they are unlikely to be the kind of huge underdogs in the upcoming season that they have often been in years past.

If they are underdogs, the “point spread” is likely to be small. If they get off to a good start, they could even become favorites, a position that will be somewhat new to them. And if they are favorites in some games, will they know how to beat up an inferior opponent and cover the spread?