MNF Betting Odds – Texans vs. Steelers
Carrie Stroup here with your MNF betting odds for the Texans vs. Steelers game. Place your 1st bet here and get your 2nd bet FREE.
HOUSTON TEXANS (3-3) at PITTSBURGH STEELERS (3-3)
Sportsbook.ag Line & Total: Pittsburgh -3, Total: 44
Opening Line & Total: Pittsburgh -3.5, Total: 44
Both the Texans and the Steelers will be looking to get over the .500 mark when they meet at Heinz Field on Monday night.
Houston nearly came away with a victory over the Colts in Week 6, losing 33-28 as 2.5-point home underdogs. Pittsburgh was blown out 31-10 in Cleveland as 2.5-point road favorites, which continued its season long pattern of a win followed by a loss. The Texans and Steelers haven’t met since 2011, when Houston won-and-covered 17-10 at home. These teams have split victories both SU and ATS since the Texans entered the league in 2002, with three of their four meetings finishing Under the total.
The Texans will lean on RB Arian Foster in this game, as QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has been far too turnover-prone as of late. Houston is 15-4 ATS after allowing 400 or more total yards per game in their previous three contests since 1992. Pittsburgh, however, is 6-0 ATS after having lost two of its previous three games over the past two years. DE Jadeveon Clowney (knee) could return for the Texans on Monday.
Houston got off to a great start this season, but has now lost two straight games and three of the past four. The play of QB Ryan Fitzpatrick (1,268 pass yards, 6 TD, 6 INT) is the biggest issue for this team struggling to gain yards through the air when it needs to. Fitzpatrick has had just one game where he’s thrown for more than one touchdown and it was against the lowly Raiders in Week 2. Luckily for the Texans, RB Arian Foster (513 rush yards, 5 TD) has been performing at the same elite level that people expect from him. Foster was dominant in the Texans’ loss to the Colts, running for 109 yards and two touchdowns on just 20 carries.
Houston will do whatever it can to make sure Foster is getting the touches he needs against the Steelers. The reality for this team, however, is that its scoring won’t matter unless it can start defending better. This team is getting shredded on a week-to-week basis, allowing 271.5 passing YPG (28th in NFL) and 125.7 rushing YPG (22nd in NFL).
The Steelers have lost two of their past three games and will be looking to turn things around after being blown out 31-10 in Cleveland. QB Ben Roethlisberger (1,593 pass yards, 8 TD, 3 INT) really struggled against the Browns, completing just 50% of his passes for 228 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He’ll look to get things going again versus this poor Texans passing defense by feeding WR Antonio Brown (41 rec, 629 yards, 5 TD) early and often. Brown ranks second in the NFL with 629 receiving yards.
RB Le’Veon Bell (542 rush yards, 1 TD) has been outstanding out of the backfield for this team. He’s second in the NFL with 793 yards from scrimmage, but the Steelers will need to do a better job of feeding him when they reach the red zone. He’s getting them all the way down the field, but they’re abandoning him when they need him most.
Pittsburgh’s defense has been solid this season, allowing 225.8 passing YPG (10th in NFL) and 111.2 rushing YPG (15th in NFL). This unit doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses and will be putting pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick right from the jump.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
