Posted on 10/15/2007 8:26:23 PM

NFL Betting: Steelers, Broncos Battle After Bye Week

By BetUS Staff

Two teams going in opposite directions will square off on Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Denver Broncos. The Steelers are riding high atop the AFC North with the best defense in the league, while Denver has lost their last three games. NFL betting aficionados may think a Pittsburgh rout is in order, but nothing is ever a given when gridiron battles play out in Denver.

Before the Steelers went on their bye week they dismantled the Seahawks 21-0 as a 5-point favorite. Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was near perfect on the day, completing 18-of-22 passes for 206 yards with a touchdown despite missing both of his top receivers – Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes. Ward missed his second straight game with a knee injury, while Holmes pulled up lame with a hamstring injury in pre-game workouts. Both could be ready to return this week after the bye gave them an extra week to heal.

Willie Parker rushed for 102 yards on 28 carries, while Najeh Davenport ran in for two touchdowns against Seattle. The real story of the game, however, was evident in the time of possession stats. Pittsburgh held the ball for just over 40 minutes, or two-thirds of the entire game. Even when Seattle did have the ball they couldn’t do anything with it as the Steelers limited them to only 144 yards of total offense, which included only 33 rushing yards. Those impressive stats boosted the Steelers into the No. 1 ranking on defense in the league, as they’ve allowed only 9.4 points and 235.6 yards per game.

The Broncos headed into their bye week coming of their worst loss of the season. Denver was hammered by San Diego 41-3 despite being listed as a slight 1.5-point home dog on the NFL odds. Broncos’ quarterback Jay Cutler completed 23-of-36 passes for 232 yards with an interception in the loss, while running bank Travis Henry was held to 65 yards on 16 carries. The Broncos were in danger of losing Henry for the rest of the season due to a possible suspension for alleged drug use, but the often-in-trouble Henry will reportedly be on the field for at least three more weeks while his legal matters are worked out.

The Broncos will also hope to have receiver Javon Walker on the field this week. Walker has missed Denver’s last two games with a knee injury, but said he hopes to play this week. Brandon Marshall has been the Broncos’ No. 1 receiver in Walker’s absence, as he led the team with seven receptions for 72 yards against the Chargers. If the Broncos hope to get back in the win column this week they’ll have to play much better defensively and avoid the mistakes they made against San Diego. The Broncos’ defense allowed 484 total yards while the club also turned the ball over three times. One of those turnovers was a costly fumble on a kickoff that San Diego ran back for a touchdown.

The Broncos and Steelers squared off last season when Denver defeated Pittsburgh 31-20 as a 2.5-point underdog. Jake Plummer led the Broncos’ offense in that game and threw three touchdown passes. Roethlisberger threw for 433 yards for Pittsburgh, but had only one touchdown to three interceptions as the Steelers turned the ball over a total of six times.

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