By: Michael Stiffler, @Stiffeezy_ on Twitter
SteelerNation.com
Yikes. Rough week if you followed my picks, you would have gone 0-3 last week (16-8 YTD). Hopefully this week the Pittsburgh Steelers stay water and find their level as the Cincinnati Bengals come to Heinz Field on Sunday. As always, lines are brought to you via FanDuel Sportsbook. *Lines may change when and wherever you do your betting.
Let’s get started!
Spread: Pittsburgh -6.5 (Opened at Pittsburgh -9)
Most of the action has been placed on the Bengals and rightfully so after last week and the COVID news. The Steelers were planning on Ben Roethlisberger being their quarterback but did not get confirmation until Saturday morning. Even though the quarterback was away from the team all week, he still was watching practice film and bombarding offensive coordinator, Randy Fichtner and quarterbacks coach, Matt Canada with questions about this week's matchup. He actually admitted the time away was good for his body, so maybe Roethlisberger got an unintentional "bye week" without having one. While Roethlisberger suiting up on Sunday is huge, the most underrated player that will be playing for the Steelers on Sunday is defensive lineman, Tyson Alualu. In the past two games since his injury, the Steelers have allowed over 400 rushing yards, almost the same amount they allowed in the 6 games prior to that. This is huge for a Steelers team that will be facing a weakened running game in the Bengals. The Bengals will be without their star running back, Joe Mixon, who is proficient as both a runner and pass catcher. Instead, the Steelers get to face Gio Bernard, who is more known for his pass catching ability than his running ability. Even the Bengals coaches know that as Bernard (15 carries) saw only 5 more carries than back up Samaje Perine (10 carries) last week. On top of that, starting right tackle Bobby Hart (sorry TJ Watt) is out and left tackle Jonah Williams is listed as questionable. All in all I think this is a get right game for the Steelers. If you love the Steelers this week like I do, I would jump on this number now before possible late money can push this back up to 7/7.5 points.
Stiffler’s Pick: Pittsburgh -6.5 (Very Confident)
Total: Over/Under 46 (Opened at 48)
The Steelers lowest score of the season came last week which put their average back under 30 points for the season (29.4). Even though their matchup last week was a tasty treat, they were unable to capitalize on it. Luckily this week they will be facing a Bengals defense that gives up 400 yards a game and roughly 26 points a game. I don't think the Steelers will overlook the matchup this week with a division foe, so let's expect at the least 30 from the team this week. I say "team" because the defense is no stranger to putting points on the board, and Ray-Ray McCloud has the ability to break one every week on special teams. Overall, I think this is just a low total for two teams with outstanding passing attacks.
Stiffler’s Pick: Over 46 (Not Confident)
1st Half Spread: Pittsburgh -3.5
I always tend to lean on the coaches when trying to decide the first half line. Who is going to have the upper hand in the game plan? If the coaching matchup tends to be equal, I will look if they have had a bye or not. In this case, Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin has heard the noise of how poorly they played last week. He loves AFC North football and you can sense his enthusiasm when discussing it. Bengals head coach, Zac Taylor on the other hand is an unknown. He had a cup of coffee with Rams head coach, Sean McVay in Los Angeles and ended up with the head coaching gig. It is still to be seen if he is a good coach or not so I would say roll with the Steelers here. One more thing, the Bengals social media decided to put out the clip of a certain Bengals receiver wiping his shoes with a Terrible Towel. BAD MOVE, PAL. Steelers come out steam rolling this team to make a statement.
Stiffler’s Pick: Pittsburgh -3.5
Feel free to follow, fade, or criticize all picks. I wish you good fortune on your bets to come.
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