Chicago vs. Pittsburgh Betting?
Smashmouth Game of the Week – Steelers Host Bears Sunday Night
A pair of teams going in totally opposite directions meet on Football Night in America Sunday when the undefeated Chicago Bears pay visit to the winless Pittsburgh Steelers.
Chicago Bears (2-0) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (0-2)
When: 8:30 PM ET, Sunday, September 22, 2013
Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Broadcast: NBC
Bears vs. Steelers Betting Lines from betonline.com
Chicago Bears -2½ -120 Ov 40 -110
Pittsburgh Steelers +2½ +100 Un 40 -110
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While absolutely nothing seems to have gone right for the Pittsburgh Steelers this year, it appears as though the Bears may have used a little of their season-karma already during their first two wins. The Steelers are battered, they are bruised and they are especially thin at almost every offensive position ahead of their Sunday showdown – could the Bears have caught them at precisely the right time?
The Chicago Bears look like a different team under new coach Mark Trestman. They are playing efficient, they are taking care of the ball and they are playing fundamentally sound football – something we haven’t seen in a while for this team.
Jay Cutler and the offense have been good – Cutler has 532 yards passing this year and 5 TDs while Brandon Marshall has continued his reign as one of the top pass catchers in the game (217 yards receiving and 2 TDs already) and the addition of Tight End Martellus Bennett has been crucial for this team so far.
Add in Matt Forte and his 140 yards rushing and 112 yards receiving and the Bears look balanced, confident and as dangerous offensively as they have in quite some time. Forte goes up against a Steelers defense that has allowed a surprising 119 yards per game this year – 25th in the NFL – hard to believe!
Defensively the Bears have a real chance to shine this week. They have been middle-of-the-pack so far this season but get a crack at a fragile offense lacking key playmakers and a confidence characteristic of this Mike Tomlin’s squad. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The Pittsburgh Steelers lost their best O-lineman and their starting running back in Week 1 and they have been without blocker and pass catcher Heath Miller all season – it really showed in Monday’s loss to Cincinnati. The Steelers are struggling to score points – an average of just 9.5 per game so far this season. You can point to an anemic running game if you want to point fingers – so far on the season the Steelers have generated a total of just 75 yards rushing this year – by far the worst in the NFL.
With zero running game the onus has fallen once again on Ben Roethlisberger who has book OK but not great as teams are clearly looking to take the pass away. Ben has passed for 442 yards and 2 TDs this year on 40 of 71 passing but he is constantly under duress – something that is going to have to change. How long will Ben last at this rate? An injury seems imminent!
Betting Prediction
A few trends to consider:
• Under is 14-3 in PIT last 17 home games.
• PIT are 5-15-1 ATS in their last 21 games on grass.
• Under is 6-2 in PIT last 8 games on grass.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a home dog for the first time since 2002 Sunday – 8-1-1 ATS in 10 games as a home dog since 2000. But there are simply too many pieces missing on this team for them to compete with a confident Bears squad. Chicago has weapons all over the field while Pittsburgh is sadly lacking in a few key areas. It’s going to be a long year Steelers fans!
Pick: Chicago Bears -2 1/2
