Steel yourself for a Pittsburgh plunge

Giving up less than a touchdown on the line, Pittsburgh is the bet in its National Football League away game versus Tennessee that is the Thursday Night Football match.

The Steelers are 2-2 straight up and 1-3 against the spread but the Titans are faring much worse, currently standing at 1-4 straight up and 1-4 against the spread. And while most pundits would list Pittsburgh in their top 10 teams, one would be hard pushed to find anyone willing to rank Tennessee outside the bottom half a dozen sides.

A home underdog, particularly in a game that will be beamed across the United States of America, ought to be of interest but the Texans are playing so poorly and their quarterback depth is so shallow that they are all too easy to oppose.

Tennessee was embarrassed 7-30 on the road in Minnesota last time out, back-up quarterback Matt Hasselbeck`s performance earned a rating of just 69.9 points and the team rushing for a pathetic total of 52 yards, with running back Chris Johnson managing just 24 yards from 15 carries.

The Texans are likely to have to go with Hasselbeck versus the Steelers because Jake Locker is questionable after dislocating his left shoulder for the second time this season during his side`s 14-38 loss in Houston.

Hasselbeck, a veteran quarterback entering his 14th National Football League, is well past his best that saw him make the National Football Conference`s Pro Bowl side three times in the 2000s. Some of his harshest critics say that he is not even worth a place on a team`s roster as a second stringer.

With a quarterback on the slide, a non-existent running game and a defence that has given up at least 30 points in every match this term, Tennessee is a tough side to like even in receipt of a five-and-a-half-point start from Pittsburgh.

The Steelers could be without two of their best defensive players - starting safety Troy Polamalu and linebacker LaMarr Woodley - through injury but even those possible absences are insufficient to stop them being the bet.

Pittsburgh`s rushing numbers improved out of sight because Rashard Mendenhall made his first appearance of the season in its 16-14 home defeat of Philadelphia, with the running back making 81 yards off 14 attempts as he returned from a serious knee injury that he sustained late last term.

With their primary running back on duty, the Steelers should be able to move the ball freely both in the air and on the ground versus a Titans defence that is ranked 25th against the pass and 28th against the run. Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger`s rating of 100.60 points dwarfs that of Hasselbeck and he has thrown eight touchdowns and only one interception this season. Those are very good numbers.

On paper, the first game of the National Football League`s sixth round looks like being a blowout. The only note of caution is that the Steelers are just 2-9 against the spread in road matches over the last two seasons and they are favourites versus a team that is desperate to get a win.

The total points line is trading at around 42.5 points, with the spread moving south since it opened. The under is 5-0 in Thursday Night Football this term and that, combined with the view that Tennessee`s offence is poor, explains why punters have backed it down from 43.5 points.

Leave the total points line alone and stick with backing Pittsburgh to cover the spread on its travels.

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12/10/2012     © Frixo 2024