The Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots will both be trying to pick up a win on Thursday when they battle at Gillette Stadium.
Pittsburgh at New England
When: 8:30 PM ET, Thursday, September 10, 2015
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC.
LINE: PATRIOTS -7. O/U: 52
PREDICTION: Patriots 27, Steelers 24
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Oddsmakers currently have the Patriots listed as 6-point favorites versus the Steelers, while the game’s total is sitting at 54.
New England will also be without its top running back due to the one-game suspension for LeGarrette Blount who, ironically, was a member of the Steelers and a passenger in Bell’s car when the duo was arrested on marijuana charges during the 2014 preseason. Brandon Bolden is expected to get the start while James White, Dion Lewis and Travaris Cadet may also see time in the backfield, but the focus for the Steelers will be shutting down Brady and behemoth tight end Rob Gronkowski. Brady threw for 33 TDs against only nine interceptions last season and more than a third of those scoring passes (12) went to Gronkowski, who had 82 receptions for 1,124 yards while reaching double digits in touchdowns for the fourth time in five seasons. The Patriots suffered a huge blow in the secondary with the loss of both of their starting cornerbacks in the offseason, including all-world Darrelle Revis, leaving Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler atop the depth chart at that position.
New England was a 28-24 winner in its last match on the road against the Seahawks. They covered the +1-point spread as underdogs, while the total score of 52 sent OVER bettors to the payout window.
Team record: 15-4 SU,11-8 ATS
Current Streak: won 3 straight games.
New England is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games
New England is 13-2 SU in its last 15 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of New England’s last 9 games
New England is 13-5 ATS in its last 18 games at home
Pittsburgh featured the NFL’s second-ranked offense last season and a big reason was the talents of Bell, who ranked second in the league with 1,361 rushing yards and added 83 receptions for 854 yards. With former Carolina back D’Angelo Williams set to spell Bell, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will likely take to the air as he looks to build upon a stellar campaign in which he established a career best in passing yardage (4,952) while throwing for 32 touchdowns versus only nine interceptions. Roethlisberger has the league’s most productive wideout in Antonio Brown, who topped the league in receptions (129) and yards (1,698) while becoming only the fourth player in league history to post consecutive seasons with at least 110 catches. Longtime defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau resigned in the offseason and was replaced by Keith Butler, who must shore up a unit that ranked among bottom fourth of the league in sacks, interceptions and passing yards surrendered.
The Steelers were a 30-17 loser in their most recent outing at home against the Ravens. They failed to cover the -3-point spread as favorites, while the total score (47) made winners of PUSH bettors.
Team record: 11-6 SU,9-8 ATS
Pittsburgh is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Pittsburgh is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 6 games on the road
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