Green Bay Packers predictions: Week 7 at Texans

The Green Bay Packers were served a big slice of humble pie last week, suffering their first loss of the season to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-10.

This week, the Packers’ opponent is Houston — a team which fired its head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien in early October.

Can Green Bay rebound from the ugly loss in Tampa Bay and improve to 5-1? Here’s this week’s Packers predictions from around the web:

Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times: Packers 30, Texans 21. “Deshaun Watson is fun to watch, but the Texans are outclassed. Aaron Rodgers had a horrible game against Tampa Bay, and should bounce back in a big way against a wobbly Houston defense.”

Pete Prisco of CBS Sports: Packers 33, Texans 28. “The Packers are playing a second straight road game and looked awful in losing to the Bucs last week. That will get them back focused. The Texans defense has all kinds of issues, which means a big day for Aaron Rodgers. The Packers haven’t played well on defense either, but they will hold up enough in this one.”

Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com: Packers 38, Texans 33. “Which defense do you trust more? Despite superior depth on the defensive line, the Packers are ranked 30th in defensive DVOA, three spots behind the struggling Texans. Packers pass rusher Preston Smith is not making much of an impact this year, safety Adrian Amos is being exposed in coverage and coordinator Mike Pettine’s group is struggling against the run, as usual. That sets up beautifully for Deshaun Watson, who has played terrific the last three weeks and has a deeper group of pass catchers than Green Bay has assembled for Aaron Rodgers. I expect Rodgers to bounce back strong in a similarly favorable matchup, but there should be a lot of fireworks along the way.”

Kevin Cusick of the Pioneer Press: Packers by six points. “Aaron Rodgers says last week’s 28-point loss to Tampa Bay may turn out being good for the Packers because they needed “a kick in the a**.” On a personal level, Rodgers expects to do much better now that he has been reminded that his receivers are the ones wearing the yellow helmets.”

Kalyn Kahler of Bleacher Report: Packers 28, Texans 24. “You saw Deshaun Watson’s reaction last week when he lost the coin toss at the start of overtime. He knew he’d never be getting the ball back. Houston’s defense is not good enough to stump Aaron Rodgers the way the Bucs did last week.”

John Breech of CBS Sports: Packers 31, Texans 24.

Vinnie Iyer of the Sporting News: Packers 34, Texans 27. “The Packers want to forget about all the offensive issues that had in Tampa and a trip to Houston to face a Texans’ defense that can neither hold up against run nor pass is just what the coordinator ordered for a get-well game. Aaron Rodgers will have a fun duel with Deshaun Watson as Green Bay’s defense will continue to struggle on the road. But in the end, they can control the game better with Aaron Jones and the rushing attack.”

The Miami Herald’s Greg Cote: Texans 28, Packers 27. “AAAWWWK!” bellows the Upset Bird into an unmuted mic. “Houstaawwk!” The disparity in these teams’ won-lost records suggests the Gee Bees should be a significantly bigger favorite. That they aren’t, and that the line has not budged, is telling. It’s more than Pack getting beaten up so badly by Bucs last week. It’s that Texans are a dangerous 1-5, good enough to have lost by one score to Steelers and Titans.

Bill Bender of the Sporting News: Packers 33, Texans 26. “The Packers flopped against the Buccaneers, and tackle David Bakthiari was injured in the second half. That’s a major concern for protecting Aaron Rodgers, but the running game gets back on track with Aaron Jones against a Houston defense that allows 177.5 yards per game.”

Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice: Packers win. “Four of the Texans’ losses have come via the Chiefs, Ravens, Steelers, and Titans, who have a combined record of 20-2, so they’re probably better than their 1-5 record would indicate, which is reflected in the mere 3.5-point spread. But even if they have played some good teams, they have also proven that they can’t beat good teams.”

Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Bay Area: Packers 34, Texans 27. “The Packers were pantsed by the Bucs on national television, showing they have a long way to go to prove they are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. There’s good news, though, as Green Bay travels to Houston on Sunday to face a horrific Texans defense. Expect Aaron Rodgers to have a huge day and get back on track in the Lone Star State.”

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk: Packers 34, Texans 24. “A get-right game for Green Bay, which can’t afford to lose another game with the Bears surging.”

Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk: Packers 30, Texans 20. “The Packers got dominated on both sides of the ball last week against the Buccaneers, but they can do too many things on offense for the Texans to keep up.”

All six analysts at Sports Illustrated chose the Packers to win.

All seven USA Today prognosticators picked the Packers to win.

All three Athlon Sports analysts picked the Packers to win.

Eight of nine writers at SB Nation chose the Packers to win.

Six of seven staffers at PennLive.com predicted a win for the Packers.