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Atlanta Falcons at Dallas Cowboys NFL Lines

Written October 25, 2009 by Rock Henderson

The story line for this Week 7 match-up is that rookie holdout Michael Crabtree will make his first NFL start for the 49ers in the state he made a name for himself in. Crabtree has had two weeks to get a grasp of San Francisco’s offense and must have been impressive in practice because he managed to earn a starting spot. Houston has lacked consistency during the first third of the season, but the Texans have to be optimistic about their 28-17 win at Cincinnati last Sunday. QB Matt Schaub is playing at a Pro Bowl level and has a plethora of weapons to utilize on the offensive end that includes arguably the best WR in the game named Andre Johnson. Houston is favored by 3 points according to our NFL odds, and a total is set for 44.

A bye week could not have came at a better for the 49ers and head coach Mike Singletary after they dropped their last two games. RB Frank Gore is set to return from injury and should provide a boost to an offense that struggled to move the ball against Atlanta. Gore was off to a fast start, gaining 241 yards and scoring three times in just two games. Installing Crabtree into the offense should allow for more running room since defenses have to respect the rookie’s playmaking ability. QB Sean Hill has been efficient, but not spectacular. The eighth year pro out of Maryland is under center to manage the game and lead effectively as he is only averaging a little over six yards per pass attempt. San Francisco’s defense was lights out in their first three games, but have taken a couple steps back in their last two outings. A 45-10 loss would not sit well with any coach and one can only imagine how Singletary handled practice in the two off weeks to prepare his team for Houston.

Houston hasn’t found a way to win two consecutive games all season long as every loss has been followed by a win to a 3-3 record. They won last week against the Bengals, so it only seems fitting that they will fall to the 49ers Sunday. QB Matt Schaub has been a top 5 quarterback in the league to date. He has thrown for over 1800 yards and 14 touchdowns while only being intercepted five times. With the amount of weapons around him, it would be hard for Schaub to not succeed. RB Steve Slaton has had a slow start in the rushing category, but his 282 yards receiving coupled with his 274 yards rushing make him one of the more versatile backs in the game. WR Andre Johnson has been his usual self, catching 36 balls for 572 yards and four scores. TE Owen Daniels provides a huge red zone target and WR Kevin Walter works the middle of the field. Rookie LB Brian Cushing has been a pleasant surprise as the USC alum earned Week 6 defensive player of the week with his 9 tackle, one interception, two fumble recovery performance.

The Texans are about as unpredictable as it gets in the NFL. One week, they look like a definite playoff team and the next they show signs of being a middle of the pack squad. San Francisco has had two weeks to fume over their 35 point blowout loss and they are getting two key players back on offense. The 49ers are in a nice spot here to get the cover. Play: San Francisco +3

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