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    Arizona Cardinals-Houston Texans Odds and Picks Against the Spread

    Two struggling teams with key injuries are approaching must-win territory as the season begins to wind down. Which side pulls it out in a game that Vegas views as close to 50/50?
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    ARIZONA CARDINALS AT HOUSTON TEXANS (-1, O/U 38.5), Sun., 1:00 p.m. ET

    Both struggling teams sit two games out of the last playoff spot, so each is about to enter must-win territory.

    They would do so with understudies at quarterback. The life on offense seems sucked out of Texas with Tom Savage in place of rookie Deshaun Watson, who is out for the year. The Cardinals might be down to their third-stringer as Carson Palmer recovers from a broken arm and Drew Stanton is doubtful with an ailing knee.

    Thus could Blaine Gabbert resurrect his career in his third NFL stop.

    LINE MOVEMENTS AND TRENDS

    Arizona opened as a 1.5-point favorite before the concern over Stanton ratcheted up. It even crept up to two points for some bookmakers.

    The Cardinals pushed last week against Seattle, which is better than they have done lately. ‘Zona is 2-6-1 ATS this season.

    Houston carries just as little appeal against opponents with winning records. The Texans are on a 2-5 slide versus sub-.500 foes.

    BREAKDOWN

    Gabbert has had no shortage of opportunities as a starter, but his career QB rating of 71.5 is dismal. At least ‘Zona’s offense has considerably more threats than Gabbert was afforded in Jacksonville and San Francisco.

    No matter if it’s Gabbert or Stanton, the Cardinals figure to get RB Adrian Peterson going. This marks his fifth game with Arizona, and he has shined so far on alternate weeks. First and third games: a combined 293 rushing yards. Second and fourth: 50 (on 32 carries).

    Savage, who was demoted after the season opener, did not exactly seize the moment when he stepped back in last Sunday. There were four turnovers, with a fifth negated by penalty, against the Rams.

    He targeted WR DeAndre Hopkins a whopping 14 times. Hard to blame him, but with Will Fuller, the second-best WR, likely out (ribs), it is no mystery where Savage will be looking. Arizona’s secondary is well-equipped to train its attention on Hopkins.

    PICK

    Click here for all SportsLine expert picks on Cardinals-Texans

    So who should you pick in every Week 11 NFL game? And what teams can you count on over 50 percent of the time? Join SportsLine now to get every pick from the model that would have won over 96 percent of CBS office pool leagues last season, plus find out what home team with high hopes is going down hard this week.

    Mike TierneyTop Dog

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