NFL Week Five Betting – Steelers vs. Jaguars
The Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in a rematch of one of last season’s best playoff games. The Jags went into Pittsburgh last year and upset the AFC North champions. The Steelers haven’t forgotten that loss. Even though the Steelers record is 3 and 1 straight-up, their record versus the BetUS online sportsbook betting spread has been awful this season.
They are 1 and 3 against the spread. They also aren’t stopping teams from getting into the end zone. The Baltimore Ravens actually scored 20 points versus the Steelers’ vaunted defense this past Monday night. That’s a lot of points for Baltimore.
The Jacksonville Jaguars started out slow but have won their last two games. They are now 2 and 2 on the season. Like the Steelers the Jags are also 1 and 3 against the BetUS online wagering spread.
If they can manage to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers again, we might be able to say that the Jags have solved their offensive line woes. That’s the main reason that the Jaguars haven’t been as great this season as some online betting fans expected. They’ve allowed a lot of pressure to get to quarterback David Garrard so far this season.
Here are the BetUS online sportsbook betting odds for this game.
Kick-off: 10/05/2008 8:15 pm est.
Pittsburgh Steelers + 4 ½ – 110 + 170 O 36 ½ – 110
Jacksonville Jaguars – 4 ½ – 110 – 210 U 36 ½ – 110
Here are a few online wagering trends that might help us find a good online bet in this game.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are 1 and 5 against the spread in their last 6 games on the road.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are 1 and 5 against the spread in the last 6 meetings between these two teams.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are 2 and 5 against the spread in their last 7 games against an AFC opponent.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are 6 and 2 in their last 8 games against the spread versus a team with a winning record.
This game is going to come down to the Steelers’ offense. Are the Pittsburgh Steelers healthy enough on the offensive side of the ball to put up some points against the Jaguars’ defense?
Ben Rothlisberger has been hurt for a couple of weeks now. Rashard Mendenhall is on injured reserve, Willie Parker can’t play, and Santonio Holmes has a bad neck. About the only player on the Steelers’ offense who isn’t banged up is Hines Ward. But will he be enough of a factor in this game for the Steelers to have a chance?
I really don’t think so. There are two reasons I believe that the Jaguars cover the BetUS online betting spread in this game. The first is the fact that the Steelers are banged up on offense. The second is the fact that the Steelers’ defense hasn’t been as physical this season as they have in the past.
NFL Week 5 Prediction:
I will be making an online bet on the Jacksonville Jaguars to cover the spread in this game.
