NFL: Monday's play

Play: Houston +3 -110

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

Reasoning: The Texans are better and my power rankings say they should be +1 for this game. Pittsburgh has really only played one game well, its 37-19 drubbing of Carolina on Sept. 21. The Texans only have one double-digit loss (by 13 at New York on Sept. 21) and they played Indianapolis and Dallas tough in their last two. And their game against the Colts was on Thursday night, so they've had three extra days to prepare for the Steelers. Pittsburgh has been giving up big plays through the air and on the ground. Last week the Steelers allowed the Browns 158 rushing yards and tonight they will face Arian Foster, who has 513 rushing yards. Foster entered the week third in the NFL in rushing, and that was despite his missing a game and the fact that he went for only eight yards against the Bills in Week 4. In Foster's last game against Pittsburgh he ran for 155 yards. And Houston's zone-blocking scheme likely will be a problem for the Steelers, as they usually have problems with teams using that system. Pitt's outside linebackers have accummulated only five sacks and 12 QB pressures in six games, and those are low numbers for a 3-4 defense. Pittsburgh has problems on offense as well, with Ben Roethlisberger getting sacked 11 times in the last three games and 17 times overall (second-highest in the league). The Steelers also are next-to-last in the NFL in red zone offense.

Record: 197-150-8 (56.8%)
Bankroll: +99.74%