Houston at Minnesota

DeMeco Ryans is 5-2 straight up and 4-3 ATS in preseason for Houston, and he has won and covered his past three true road games. Minnesota coach Kevin O'Connell is 4-6 straight up and 5-5 ATS overall. The Vikings are 1-4 ATS in their past five against the AFC South and 2-6 ATS overall as preseason home favorites. The Texans' QB rotation behind C.J. Stroud consists of Davis Mills, Graham Mertz, and Kedon Slovis. Mills appeared in four games in 2024, his fourth NFL season, and completed 20 of 36 passes for 212 yards. Mertz leads Slovis for the third-string job after being a sixth-round pick from Florida. Slovis is also in his first season. The Vikings will finally get a chance to see J.J. McCarthy in action after he missed all of last season with a torn meniscus. He likely will play just a couple of series before the backups enter the game. They are Sam Howell, Brett Rypien, and Max Brosmer. Rypien hasn't played since 2023, and Howell has not looked good in training camp. Houston is 1-6 UNDER in preseason the past two years, and this game should see plenty of playing time from rookie quarterbacks. Houston allowed 14.5 points per game and Minnesota 12.7 in the 2024 preseason. Take the Texans and the UNDER.