NFL Week 7 Betting - Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals
The Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1 SU, 2-3 ATS) in an AFC North matchup in NFL football, schedule to kick off at 1 PM ET at Paul Brown Stadium (natural turf) in Cincinnati.
Sunday, October 19
BetUS NFL Betting Odds: PITTSBURGH -9.5, Total 34.5
NOTABLE STAT: Pittsburgh has allowed 2.8 yards per rush
KEY NFL FOOTBALL BETTING TREND: Steelers are 6-0-1 ATS last seven in Cincinnati
In the BetUS NFL football betting odds, the Steelers are listed as a 9.5-point favorite, with a posted total of 34.5 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* PITT has won four of its last five games SU
* PITT has played seven of its last nine games OVER the total
* PITT has covered two of its last seven road games
* CIN has covered two of its last six games
* CIN has lost its last six games SU
* CIN has played nine of its last 12 games UNDER the total
* CIN has covered two of its last seven home games
* CIN has played its last five home games UNDER the total
Also...
* PITT has won and covered four of the last five meetings
* PITT is 6-0-1 ATS in the last seven meetings as the road team
* PITT has won the last five meetings SU as the road team
* Six of the last seven meetings in Cincinnati have gone UNDER the total
Before we go any further, Ryan Fitzpatrick is going to be starting at quarterback for the Bengals in place of Carson Palmer, who is out with an elbow injury. Fitzpatrick has thrown the ball 68 times, and has been sacked eight times. He's tossed three interceptions already. And here come the Steelers, who have sacked quarterbacks 19 times. Expect that they will put the pressure on and keep it on the Harvard grad.
Cincinnati's running game has "ground" to a halt (3.3 ypc) and so Fitzgerald is not going to get a lot of help from somewhere else. Apparently some of the other Cincinnati players have halfway packed it in. One of those is Chad Johnson, who has made the suggestion that Carson Palmer might want to shut things down for the year because of the injury. Johnson has played at about half-speed, making 19 catches in six games thus far. If you were wondering about the job status of Marvin Lewis, word is that his job is perfectly secure, for as long as he wants it.
The Steelers will be bringing back running back Willie Parker, who could be able to exploit the weaknesses on the Bengals' defensive front. And let's not forget that Cincinnati has permitted teams to convert over 46% first downs. Meanwhile, where is the Cincy pass rush? It has recorded only five sacks, and that is where they could potentially get to Ben Roethlisberger, who been sacked 18 times in five games.
Technical trends also favor Pittsburgh, which has covered six of the last seven times it has been in Cincinnati (the other was a push). We'll go ahead and oppose the Bengals until they can right their ship, laying it with Pittsburgh, the 9.5-point favorite in the BetUS NFL football betting odds.
JAY'S PLAY: PITTSBURGH -9.5 **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
(Charles Jay of www.ebookies.com is a member of the NFL too - that is, "not for long" if you don't get results. He is now a regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room)
