NFL Betting - Titans and Texans in the Week 11 Monday Nighter

Monday Night Football

The NFL betting scene took a turn for the obscene in Tennessee’s 41-17 pasting of Buffalo last week. Wasn’t it hilarious to see 86-year-old Titans owner Bud Adams repeatedly flipping the bird during his team’s romp during the fourth quarter against the Bills? Yeah, it was over the line, but the No Fun League needs a little unsportsmanlike behavior every now and then.

League brass didn’t find Adams’ outburst so comedic, fining him $250,000 for the gestures from his private box at LP Field. In an attempt at closure, Adams took out a full-page advertisement in the Buffalo News on Sunday, wishing the Bills good luck for the rest of the season. It was a nice move by Adams, but he should be giving good wishes to his own club instead. Tennessee is in for a tough game when it faces Houston at Reliant Stadium on Monday Night Football.

Tennessee at Houston (-4, 48.5) – 8:30 PM ET

Winners of three in a row, the Tennessee Titans (3-6, 4-5 ATS) need another strong performance from Chris Johnson and the running game to cover against the Houston Texans (5-4, 5-3-1 ATS) and their improved run defense on Monday night.

Tennessee came into the season as supposed contenders in the competitive AFC, but losses in its first six games (1-5 ATS) spoiled the party for backers. Things have been different for the Titans since installing Vince Young at quarterback, however, with Tennessee going a perfect 3-0 SU and against the number since he took over under center.

Young went 17-of-25 for 210 yards with a touchdown and an interception against the Bills last week, as the Titans covered easily as 9-point favorites. The Houston native also had 29 yards rushing on five carries to bolster a Tennessee running game that was led once again by the dynamic Johnson, who finished with 132 yards rushing on 26 attempts with two scores. Johnson added 100 yards receiving on nine catches for the Titans, who are averaging 35.0 points per game in its last three paydays.

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Johnson had a huge day in Houston’s 34-31 win as 7-point underdogs at LP Field when the AFC South rivals met on September 20, racking up 197 yards rushing on only 16 touches to go along with two TDs for Tennessee. The Titans’ running back also hauled in nine balls for 87 yards with a score through the air for Tennessee, which couldn’t cover despite holding Houston to only 63 yards on the ground.

That was because the Matt Schaub-Andre Johnson combination walked all over the Titans’ defense in the upset. Schaub finished 25-of-39 for 357 yards with four TD passes, as Johnson caught two of those scores en route to 149 yards receiving on 10 receptions. With the loss, Tennessee fell to 5-2 (5-2 ATS) in the last seven meetings between the teams, while the game played over the total (40.5) for the sixth time in the last seven meetings.

After their sorry performance against the Titans, the Texans’ run defense has been the best in the NFL. Houston allowed a whopping 205.0 yards rushing per game in its first three games of the season (including its win over Tennessee), but has held opponents to only 65.0 YPG on the ground since. That makes the Texans the sharp play at home on Monday night giving only four points on their home field.