Originally posted by Chance Harper
Steelers favored in visit to Miami Dolphins
Ben Roethlisberger made a triumphant return to the gridiron last week to help Pittsburgh to an easy 28-10 win at home over the Cleveland Browns. Now Big Ben and the Steelers have to prove their mettle on the road in Miami this Sunday. Pittsburgh is a field goal favorite at the NFL betting window as the Black & Gold look to hold on to the top spot in the AFC North. Kickoff is 1 p.m. ET with CBS providing the telecast.
Big Ben is back, and that makes the Pittsburgh Steelers the sharpest wager to win Super Bowl XLV in Dallas.
In a season marred by underperforming contenders, especially in the NFC, the Steelers (4-1 SU, 4-1 ATS) have emerged as the real deal heading into their matchup on Sunday afternoon against the Miami Dolphins (3-2 SU, 3-2 ATS) at Sun Life Stadium (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
Squares made two mistakes when evaluating Pittsburgh back in the preseason. Firstly, they underrated how well the Steelers would play without Roethlisberger, and even so, they put too much weight on the first four games of the season.
Yes, he was suspended to start the year, but Roethlisberger was going to suit up in 75% of Pittsburgh’s games in a familiar system with familiar personnel.
Secondly, and more importantly, Troy Polamalu was healthy. The Steelers were 4-1 SU when Polamalu was in the lineup last season, with the one loss coming when he left the game early because of his knee injury.
Pittsburgh is currently priced as a +800 underdog to win the Super Bowl, putting it tied with AFC North rival Baltimore and just behind the New York Jets (+650).
That’s good value in the Steelers, who are 3-point favorites on the NFL betting odds board for their game with the Dolphins.
Big Ben was 16 of 27 for 257 yards with three touchdowns and an interception in Pittsburgh’s 28-10 win over Cleveland last week at Heinz Field, and he got better as the game went along.
Roethlisberger looked a little rusty early, but he settled down in the second half to cement the Steelers as legit Super Bowl contenders.
The defense also gets props for its work against the Browns, who scored only 10 points but put up 328 yards against the league’s best scoring (12.0 PPG) and run defense (63.8 YPG).
Pittsburgh allowed more yards than it would have liked, but it made big plays against Cleveland. The Steelers sacked Browns rookie quarterback Colt McCoy five times, picked him off twice, and recovered a fumble on their way to the payday as 14-point chalk.
Lawrence Timmons led the way with an INT and two sacks, and he’ll need another solid game against Miami, which is looking to cover the spread at home for the first time this season.
This could be a letdown spot for either club, but I’d expect it more from the Dolphins. Miami is jacked up after rolling into Lambeau Field and edging Green Bay 23-20 on a 44-yard field goal from Dan Carpenter in overtime last week, but it shouldn’t get ahead of itself.
Nice win by the Dolphins (+3), but the Packers are seriously banged-up at the moment. Good on Miami for taking advantage – especially up the middle – but it’ll be facing a different beast on Sunday.
As much as Chad Henne has progressed, the Dolphins rely heavily on their two-pronged running game led by Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. The duo paced a Miami rushing attack that finished with 150 yards against Green Bay, but no one has been able to move the ball on the ground against Pittsburgh.
The teams met at Sun Life Stadium in the 2009 regular season finale in January, as the Steelers (-3) held on for a 30-24 victory before both teams packed their bags for the golf course.
Pittsburgh had 202 yards rushing and 403 total yards offense in the win, and had three interceptions – including one off of starter Henne and another two when Tyler Thigpen was in the game.
The teams played ‘over’ the 46-point total after the Dolphins made a late comeback from a 27-10 deficit in the fourth quarter, and they’ll face a lower number on Sunday. The total is set at 40 at most outlets, although one venue had a 40.5 listing as of press time.
Guard Trai Essex (sprained ankle) and defensive end Brett Keisel (hamstring) are day to day for the Steelers, while linebacker Karlos Dansby (left knee) could miss Sunday’s tilt for the Fins.
Ben Roethlisberger made a triumphant return to the gridiron last week to help Pittsburgh to an easy 28-10 win at home over the Cleveland Browns. Now Big Ben and the Steelers have to prove their mettle on the road in Miami this Sunday. Pittsburgh is a field goal favorite at the NFL betting window as the Black & Gold look to hold on to the top spot in the AFC North. Kickoff is 1 p.m. ET with CBS providing the telecast.
Big Ben is back, and that makes the Pittsburgh Steelers the sharpest wager to win Super Bowl XLV in Dallas.
In a season marred by underperforming contenders, especially in the NFC, the Steelers (4-1 SU, 4-1 ATS) have emerged as the real deal heading into their matchup on Sunday afternoon against the Miami Dolphins (3-2 SU, 3-2 ATS) at Sun Life Stadium (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
Squares made two mistakes when evaluating Pittsburgh back in the preseason. Firstly, they underrated how well the Steelers would play without Roethlisberger, and even so, they put too much weight on the first four games of the season.
Yes, he was suspended to start the year, but Roethlisberger was going to suit up in 75% of Pittsburgh’s games in a familiar system with familiar personnel.
Secondly, and more importantly, Troy Polamalu was healthy. The Steelers were 4-1 SU when Polamalu was in the lineup last season, with the one loss coming when he left the game early because of his knee injury.
Pittsburgh is currently priced as a +800 underdog to win the Super Bowl, putting it tied with AFC North rival Baltimore and just behind the New York Jets (+650).
That’s good value in the Steelers, who are 3-point favorites on the NFL betting odds board for their game with the Dolphins.
Big Ben was 16 of 27 for 257 yards with three touchdowns and an interception in Pittsburgh’s 28-10 win over Cleveland last week at Heinz Field, and he got better as the game went along.
Roethlisberger looked a little rusty early, but he settled down in the second half to cement the Steelers as legit Super Bowl contenders.
The defense also gets props for its work against the Browns, who scored only 10 points but put up 328 yards against the league’s best scoring (12.0 PPG) and run defense (63.8 YPG).
Pittsburgh allowed more yards than it would have liked, but it made big plays against Cleveland. The Steelers sacked Browns rookie quarterback Colt McCoy five times, picked him off twice, and recovered a fumble on their way to the payday as 14-point chalk.
Lawrence Timmons led the way with an INT and two sacks, and he’ll need another solid game against Miami, which is looking to cover the spread at home for the first time this season.
This could be a letdown spot for either club, but I’d expect it more from the Dolphins. Miami is jacked up after rolling into Lambeau Field and edging Green Bay 23-20 on a 44-yard field goal from Dan Carpenter in overtime last week, but it shouldn’t get ahead of itself.
Nice win by the Dolphins (+3), but the Packers are seriously banged-up at the moment. Good on Miami for taking advantage – especially up the middle – but it’ll be facing a different beast on Sunday.
As much as Chad Henne has progressed, the Dolphins rely heavily on their two-pronged running game led by Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. The duo paced a Miami rushing attack that finished with 150 yards against Green Bay, but no one has been able to move the ball on the ground against Pittsburgh.
The teams met at Sun Life Stadium in the 2009 regular season finale in January, as the Steelers (-3) held on for a 30-24 victory before both teams packed their bags for the golf course.
Pittsburgh had 202 yards rushing and 403 total yards offense in the win, and had three interceptions – including one off of starter Henne and another two when Tyler Thigpen was in the game.
The teams played ‘over’ the 46-point total after the Dolphins made a late comeback from a 27-10 deficit in the fourth quarter, and they’ll face a lower number on Sunday. The total is set at 40 at most outlets, although one venue had a 40.5 listing as of press time.
Guard Trai Essex (sprained ankle) and defensive end Brett Keisel (hamstring) are day to day for the Steelers, while linebacker Karlos Dansby (left knee) could miss Sunday’s tilt for the Fins.
