Written by :
Published on :
New England Patriots vs. Pittsburgh Steelers betting odds had the Pats as a -3 point favorite after opening at -2.5.
Sportsbook.comLine & Total: New England -3 (even) & 52
Opening Line & Total: Patriots -2.5 & 51
Two AFC powerhouses riding three-game win streaks collide in Pittsburgh Sunday when the Steelers host the Patriots.
Even in its best days, Dick LeBeau’s Pittsburgh defense has been no match for Tom Brady. The Patriots are 6-1 ATS and SU against the Steelers with Brady under center, and he has picked apart the blitz-heavy Steel Curtain in the past two meetings, posting a 121.4 rating without getting sacked in two double-digit New England wins. The Patriots defense has made strides in their past two games, holding the Jets to 255 total yards and the Cowboys to 377 yards. The expected return of star LB Jerod Mayo will only help New England stop an erratic Pittsburgh rushing game.
Brady has thrown 14 TD and only 3 INT in his seven career meetings with Pittsburgh, and he’s having another phenomenal season with a league-high 361 passing YPG. Brady has completed 68% of his passes, tallying 16 TD and 8 INT. Much of this success has to do with WR Wes Welker, who leads the NFL in receptions (51), targets (74) and receiving yards per game (131). Welker had eight catches for 89 yards in last year’s meeting with Pittsburgh. RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis has been solid all season with 391 rushing yards (4.3 YPC) and five touchdowns despite his longest gain being 16 yards. He is the biggest reason the pass-happy Patriots also rank 10th in the NFL in rushing yardage (124 YPG).
New England has surrendered 300+ passing yards in five of six games this year, and continues to rank last in the NFL in passing defense (322 YPG). However, the Raiders are the only opponent that have rushed for more than 100 yards on the Patriots this season.
Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger is on fire, throwing for 781 yards and nine touchdowns during his team’s three-game winning streak. He has also played well against New England in his career. Including the postseason, Roethlisberger has thrown 12 TD and 5 INT in six lifetime meetings. He’ll continue to use the blazing speed of Mike Wallace to move the football. In his lone career meeting against the Patriots last year, Wallace caught eight passes for 136 yards and 2 TD. He currently ranks third in the NFL with 730 receiving yards, is gaining 20.3 yards per catch and has scored touchdowns in three straight games. The running game has been up-and-down all season, and it is coming off a down week of gaining 91 yards on 28 carries (3.3 YPC) at Arizona. Top RB Rashard Mendenhall has reached 70 yards only once in six games this year, a monstrous 146-yard effort (6.3 YPC) two weeks ago against Jacksonville. Mendenhall’s YPC average is 2.9 in his other five games.
Pittsburgh has a league-worst minus-9 turnover ratio, which is a respectable minus-2 since the seven-turnover, Week 1 debacle (35-7 loss) in Baltimore. But the defense is just not creating havoc like it has in years past, forcing only three turnovers in seven games. Despite the lack of turnovers, Pittsburgh has the NFL’s top passing defense (172 YPG) and ranks 12th in stopping the run (107 YPG). No team has surpassed 20 points on Pittsburgh since the Ravens game.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
