The Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves smack dab in the middle of the AFC standings with identical 3-3 records through the first six weeks of the season. The Texans have lost consecutive games, albeit against formidable opposition, while the Steelers suffered a stuffing at the hands of the Browns. Which team will lift itself up from mediocrity under the bright lights of Monday night?
Two other 3-3 teams are in action next Sunday. Make sure to include our previews of the Giants vs. Cowboys and Panthers vs. Packers in your preparation for another lineup of NFL action in Week 7.
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Houston Texans vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Betting Preview
Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh
When: Monday, October 20, 8:25PM ET
Line: Houston Texans (+3.5) at Pittsburgh Steelers (-3.5); total 44.5 – view all NFL lines
Betting on the Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are in the midst of their first losing streak of the season after back-to-back losses to the Dallas Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts. The severity of said losing skid shouldn’t be too overblown, though. They just so happened to lose to the two hottest teams in the NFL at the moment – the two are a combined 9-0 in their last nine games – and they did so by only combined eight points, which could be considered something of a win.
[sc:NFL240banner ]However, there should be real concern about the Houston defense, which has been giving up a ton of yards this season. The Texans are 27th in the NFL in with 397 yards allowed per game, a number that grew after they gave up exactly 456 yards in each of their last two games.
Their faulty defense may experience a significant boost, especially in their pass rush,if No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney makes his much-anticipated return from a knee injury. The rookie defensive end injured his knee back in Sept. 8, with an expected time of recovery of six weeks, which falls exactly on Oct. 20 against the Steelers.
Having the pass rush combo of Clowney and J.J. Watt back together and chasing around an out of sorts Ben Roethlisberger should give the Texans’ defense a big boost against the Steelers.
On offense, the Texans’ biggest strength just so happens to be the Steelers’ biggest weakness. Running back Arian Foster has led a Houston rushing attack that has run for over 312 yards and four touchdowns in its last two games, while the Steelers’ defense has given up 169 yards per game against its three most competent rushing opponents – Cleveland (twice) and Baltimore.
Betting on the Pittsburgh Steelers
It’s been a very up-and-down season thus far for the Pittsburgh Steelers, as they’ve alternated wins and losses toward a very mediocre 3-3 record. The Steelers are just 2-4 against the spread.
Indicative of this maddening inconsistency has been quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. After posting ratings of 112.6 and 120.2 against Carolina and Tampa Bay in Weeks 3 and 4, respectively, Big Ben has been a big dud in the last two weeks against Jacksonville and Cleveland. He played his worst game of the season last Sunday against the Browns, as he completed just half of his 42 passes for 228 yards.
Curiously, the Steelers didn’t go to star receiver Antonio Brown often enough early against the Browns. Brown eventually finished with seven catches for 118 yards, but he could’ve had so much more. After seeing Texans safety D.J. Swearinger and the rest of the Houston secondary get burned time and time again by T.Y. Hilton and the Colts on Thursday, expect the Steelers to target Brown earlier and much more often.
The same goes for all-purpose back Le’Veon Bell, who has logged in 793 yards from scrimmage this season, second only to DeMarco Murray for most in the NFL.
But on defense, the body count continues to rise with the crippling amount of injuries. Nose tackle Steve McLendon and defensive end Brett Keisel both left the game against the Browns due to injury, and could join the already-injured defensive trio of linebacker Ryan Shazier, safety Shamarko Thomas and cornerback Ike Thomas on the sidelines. The possible absence of McLendon and Shazier in particular will make it tough for an already limited Steelers defense to corral Arian Foster and the Texans.
Writer’s Prediction
Pittsburgh regroups and puts in a more complete effort at home. Take the Steelers (-3.5) to win and cover at home. Create a betting account now and take home some huge winnings from the NFL.
