NFL Preseason Week 1 Texans @ Cardinals Odds

NFL betting lines excitement is likely to be fast and furious as two of the top passing teams in the NFL will hook up in their preseason sports betting openers of 2010.

The Arizona Cardinals will host the Houston Texans on Saturday in what would be a free-wheeling affair that features plenty of offense.

Sportsbook sbgglobal opened with Houston as a 1-point road favorite and a total of 33.5.

The Houston Texans are entering 2010 with great vibes as they finished the 2009 season strong and ended up with their first ever winning record at 9-7.  The Texans are seeking their first ever playoff berth this year and had the top ranked passing attack in the NFL last season. 

Meanwhile the Arizona Cardinals are coming off back-to-back playoff seasons under head coach Ken Whisenhunt and will be passing the torch of starting quarterback from legendary future Hall of Famer Kurt Warner to Matt Leinart, a number one draft pick for the Cardinals in 2005 who will get a second chance in his career. 

The Texans will be featuring a huge battle for the place kicking position as Kris Brown and Neil Rackers are both in contention.  The two veterans are friends and Rackers was 16-17 last year at Arizona but refused what he felt was a poor contract offer.  Brown missed 11 field goals, many critical last year.

The Cardinals have expressed confidence that they will continue to win without Warner as Leinart is expected to make the most out of his second lease on life as a NFL Football starting quarterback.  The players believe in the Whisenhunt system and Leinart will still have plenty of dangerous weapons at his disposal such as wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and running back Beanie Wells. 

Tim Hightower will join Wells in the backfield to add an element of toughness to Wells’ more finesse and athletic oriented style.  LaRod Stephens-Howling and Jason Wright will also get plenty of preseason carries for Arizona.

Wells had a nice finish to last season after complaining of severe home sickness midway through the campaign.  Whisenhunt sent him home to get over it and he returned a new man and ended up being the top rusher on the Cardinals with 793 yards and 4.5-yards per carry average.

The Cardinals have normally not been a strong pre season team as they are just 3-9 against the spread in exhibitions under Whisenhunt.