Posted on
12/20/2007 6:13:24 PM
NFL Betting Thursday Betting - Steelers vs. Rams
By Tim Furious
Pittsburgh crumbled last week in a game where mother nature was on their side. Now they take to the comforts of dome when they look horns with the St. Louis Rams. It’s conceivable that Pittsburgh could fall out of the playoff picture of they lose the next two games, so winning is essential to their cause. After roaring out of the gates, their NFL betting faithful have been burned as the Steelers tumbled to 7-7 ATS last week against Jacksonville.
Pittsburgh Offense vs. St. Louis Defense
The potent Steelers offense ranks eighth in the league, but is very hard to get behind when they are on the road. Ben Roethlisberger, who has done his past to rally this team when the defense has faltered, struggles immensely when away from home, averaging 195.5 passing yards per game. The secondary in St. Louis is not nearly as poor as the terrible St. Louis 3-11 SU record indicates. They allow 218.3 passing yards, but play well enough to shove more defenders in the box, which will help with Fast Willie coming to town.
The St. Louis defense gets a free pass for last week’s debacle against Green Bay. It was a milestone game for Brett, and he has always gone bananas in those game. Ben Roethlisberger will do well against a depleted St. Louis line-backer corps that can’t hope to contain Heath Miller or Hines Ward underneath. But there is no way the football betting investor can get behind Pittsburgh on the road with a line that is dancing all over the place.
St. Louis Offense vs. Pittsburgh Defense
The Rams have the chance to salvage the season by playing the part of upstart this weekend. Marc Bulger was simply uninspiring against the Packers defense, but the Pittsburgh defense is depleted. Clark Haggans, a key part of the line-backing corps in Pittsburgh, is out with a knee injury.
Bulger and the passing offense average 218.3 passing yards per game, but raise the bar when playing at home to 245.0 yards per game. The secondary for Pittsburgh got carved apart by David Garrard, so bet on Bulger doing the same, if not more to this same defense. The Steelers have shuffled some things around in their secondary, which is a heavy indication that some backups will be starting for them on Thursday night.
NFL Betting Trends
-Pittsburgh is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games
-Pittsburgh is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
-St. Louis is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
-St. Louis is 3-9 ATS in its last 12 games at home
-Total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 5 games on the road
Final Verdict
The Steelers have had a bad habit of disappearing in big games, while St. Louis has been a ghost all season. With Cleveland tapping Pittsburgh on the shoulder, bet on Big Ben propelling the Steelers to victory. However, the questionable defense of Pittsburgh will got rolled and ripped by Steven Jackson and Marc Bulger for a few scores to keep this game close. At this point in the season it is hard to take the Steelers on the road, especially with a two score spread staring you in the face.
Pittsburgh Steelers (9-5) vs. St. Louis Rams (3-11)
Thursday, December 20th --- Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis --- 8:15pm EST
Opening NFL Betting Line: Pittsburgh -9 (45.5)
NFL Free Pick: Pittsburgh 24 St. Louis 20
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