Monday night is a treasured weekday amongst the online NFL betting community. No other day provides the excuse to have the weekend spill into the weekdays, and frankly, we’re all big fans of a longer weekend. This Monday night, the Houston Texans will be traveling to Mile High to take on the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field. Both the Broncos and the Texans are coming in with a 4-2 record, and both teams also find themselves atop their respective divisions. Will most football betting sites side with the defending Super Bowl Champions? Or will they favor the team led by Denver’s former quarterback?
Week 7 – Monday, October 24th
Texans +7½ (-110) 40 (-110) +300
Broncos -7½ (-110) 40 (-110) -365
Regardless of the fact that both these teams are sporting the same record, the online NFL betting odds have decided to heavily favor the Broncos. Denver put on an impressive streak to start the season when they won 4 straight, including their rematch against the Carolina Panthers. But after their impressive start, the Broncos quickly lost steam and lost two games in a row. Their first loss of the season came at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons. Granted, they were without their starting quarterback, so the loss was dismissible. However, the following week the Broncos would lose to the Chargers – a team coming in with one win – and this time there were no exceptions. Trevor Siemian was back under center, but the Broncos failed to keep up with the Chargers, and the Broncos offense once again proved to be the weakness of this team.
Currently the Broncos have the 4th best total defense in the league. Although they are #1 against the pass, Denver is 22nd against the run. But even with the difficulty against the run, Denver is only giving up 18 points per contest, the 8th best average in the NFL. And yet, in spite of this average, the Broncos offense has been unable to outscore their opponents the last two weeks. Denver’s offense ranks in the bottom of the league for passing, rushing, and points. But even with those less than stellar statistics, the Broncos are still better off now than they would’ve been had they been willing to pay Brock Osweiler the money he was asking for.
Osweiler made a name for himself last season after Peyton Manning got sidelined late in the season. With Manning out due to injuries, the young Osweiler was able to step in and lead this team to the playoffs. After what many perceived to be an extremely impressive performance, teams were lining up to make offers to Osweiler. The team willing to pay the most? The Houston Texans. But was Osweiler really worth the heaps of money the Texans spent on him? From what we’ve seen this season, online NFL betting critics are leaning towards no. Sure the Texans are 4-2, but a large part of that can be attributed to their defense. Just look at the stats. Osweiler has thrown 8 touchdowns to 8 interceptions and has earned a passer rating of 74.1 – not the most impressive numbers in the NFL. With Osweiler under center, the Texans passing offense ranks as the 30th worst in the NFL. Houston’s defense is stellar, but if they had a better quarterback they could be sitting on 6 wins for the season. Either way, this Monday night contest will be won by either team’s defense.
