NFL Monday Night Football Betting

There's a breaking point in every team's season when the players separate from the coaches and front office and hold themselves accountable for the failures on the football field.

The Houston Texans did just that this past week, holding a players-only meeting to discuss and, hopefully, remedy the team's defensive woes. In the end, all of the Texans defensive player swore an oath to improve in the second half of the season.

While Houston's 4-2 record wouldn't cause most squads to round up the troops for a heart-to-heart, their dismal defense, more specifically pass defense, would. The Texans are dead last in the NFL in stopping the pass, allowing opposing air attacks to pile up the yardage and keep those guys holding the chains busy.

Houston is giving up over 306 passing yards per game heading into Monday night's rematch with the Indianapolis Colts - the last team it wants to face with defensive stats like that. Oddsmakers at BetUS have set the host Colts as 5.5-point favorites despite the fact the Texans already have a win over Indianapolis, 34-24, back in Week 1.

Peyton Manning and the Colts offense totaled 433 yards passing and three scores in that Week 1 loss, exposing the Houston secondary. Other opponents would follow suit, picking apart the Texans' pass defense and spoiling plenty of wagers along the way. Houston covered in the first two games of the season but has since gone 1-3 against the spread, including back-to-back ATS losses heading into Monday.

Part of improving on the pass defense begins in the front seven. Houston's pass rush looked good in Week 1, sacking Manning twice while hurrying the Colts QB 10 times. As the weeks went on, the Texans were unable to get into their opponents' backfield, leaving rival quarterbacks time to drop back, brush their hair, update their Twitter feed, and throw the football. Houston has just 10 total sacks on the year, with only one coming in the past two games.

A bye week and an oath among teammates may not be the instant cure the Texans are hoping for. However, it is a step in the right direction. Indianapolis will get their passing yards Monday night but expect Houston to make the Colts work for every one of them.

Pick: Houston +5.5 at Betus