NFL: SKINS TO PROVE PUBLIC WRONG?
The Washington Redskins are a slim favorite over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football but the majority of the public is against them.
Washington opened as three-point favorites but it’s now down to 1 ½-points. A surprising 69% of the early bettors like the visiting Steelers to get the job done in front of the tough Monday night crowd at FedEx Field.
This big inter-conference battle starts at 8:30 pm ET game on ESPN.
Pittsburgh has a couple of reasons to feel pretty good about this game. For one, running back Willie Parker is expected to return from his knee injury. Considering how well Mewelde Moore played in his absence, it will be nice to have a two-headed monster at the position.
Receiver Santonio Holmes will also suit up after being inactive last week against the Giants due to a marijuana arrest. Ben Roethlisberger played his worst game of the year against the G-Men with four picks, and it would be very surprising if he doesn’t do much better this week.
Washington’s Clinton Portis is leading the league in rushing with 944 yards and he’s also averaging five yards per carry. It’s his ability to gain yards successfully that opens up the passing attack with the efficient Jason Campbell at quarterback.
Pittsburgh is the top-rated defense in the league statistically while Washington is sixth and that’s why the Over/Under is just 36.5, one of the lowest in the league this week.
Washington is the better team against the spread this year at 5-2 versus 3-4 for Pittsburgh. However, Pittsburgh has played very well on the road at 3-1 straight-up with their one loss coming at Philadelphia.
Washington hasn’t played very good over the last three weeks, struggling to beat Detroit and Cleveland and losing at home to St. Louis. They must turn up their play a few notches to get by this solid all-around Steelers team.
In addition to the game and total wagering, we also have our Primetime Prop for this contest. If you back the player who scores the first touchdown in the “Player to Score 1st TD” prop and he finishes the game with at least 100 rushing or receiving yards, your winning wager will be doubled up to $100 for this specific prop.
We also have plenty of props like whether Roethlisberger will throw for more than 210.5 yards. He’s only eclipsed that total twice this year, but both came on the road (Jacksonville and Cincinnati) and both were in the last three weeks. Having Holmes back helps a lot for this prop as he has the ability to beat the defense deep for the long ball.
The Player to score the 1st TD is also interesting with Clinton Portis (9:2), Mewelde Moore (6:1), Santana Moss (6:1), and Hines Ward (8:1) leading the way. Portis has scored the first touchdown an incredible three times this season. Moore’s odds will be affected by the status of Willie Parker.
