The Baltimore Ravens have held steady as roughly a touchdown favorite (-7.5) against the Houston Texans in this weekend's AFC Divisional Playoff game Sunday afternoon. With the exception of the visiting New Orleans Saints (-3 at San Francisco Saturday), home teams are favored by a touchdown or more this weekend.
Current Houston Texans receiver and former Baltimore Raven Derrick Mason is also predicting a close game - he told the Carrol County (Maryland) Times that he predicts a tight game with both defenses shutting down the opponent's running game, and quarterback play determining the winner:
"Both teams are very good defensively, both teams run the ball very effectively and both will need to throw the ball effectively. Baltimore has an edge on that one because Joe has more experience than T.J. With Andre Johnson being back, that’s a plus for the Texans. I think it will be a good contest. A lot of people might be overlooking the Texans because this is their first time in the playoffs and they don’t have a lot of big games other than Arian. I think people will be surprised by how well they play and match up."
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