As bad as Pittsburgh has been on the road, the Bengals haven?t been much better at home
NBCSports.com news services
updated 6:55 p.m. ET Oct. 19, 2012
The Pittsburgh Steelers have won 10 of their last 11 trips to Cincinnati and they are 9-1-1 ATS in those games.
Yet sportsbooks are heeding Pittsburgh?s horrible road mark in keeping the point spread in check for the NBC Sunday Nighter against the Bengals.
Pittsburgh was sitting as a 1.5-point road favorite at most sportsbooks tracked by lines provider OddsShark.com on Friday.
But the Steelers come in banged up and riding an 0-7 ATS streak in seven recent road games.
?Put simply, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been terrible on the road this season,? said Jack Randall of OddsShark.
An 0-3 SU and ATS record speaks for itself, but the Steelers? last two road losses have come to the Oakland Raiders and Tennessee Titans, two of the worst teams in the NFL this year. The Steelers are giving up 30.3 points per game on the road this season compared to just 12 points per game at home. Pittsburgh is 2-3 SU and 1-4 ATS overall this season.
After getting blown out in their season opener by the Baltimore Ravens, the Cincinnati Bengals won three straight games and went 2-0-1 ATS over that stretch. The Bengals have since lost back-to-back games as a small favorite to Miami and Cleveland, dropping their season record to 3-3 SU and 2-3-1 ATS.
The offense has played well averaging 24.8 points per game, but the defense is allowing 27.2 points per game and has allowed over 30 points three times. Cincinnati is just 3-9-3 ATS in its last 15 games.
As bad as the Steelers have been on the road, Cincinnati hasn?t been much better at home though with a 3-4 SU and 1-5-1 ATS record over its last seven home games.
The total has gone OVER in four of Pittsburgh?s last five road games and in seven of Cincinnati?s last nine home games, forcing some bettors to abandon the spread for a look at the total odds in Week 7.
With the inconsistent play of both defenses, this one will probably end up being a shootout that could go either way. Pittsburgh is 10-1 SU in its last 11 road games against Cincinnati, and considering how much trouble the Bengals have with their division rival, we lean slightly towards Pittsburgh.
For what it?s worth, the prediction computer picked a 25-22 Steelers win.
PICK: Pittsburgh -1.5 (courtesy of PickShark.com)
? 2012 NBC Sports.com
advertisement
More newsGetty ImagesDon't believe hype with Steelers' 'D'
Kacsmar: Known as the father of the zone blitz, which creates illusions of pressure, Dick LeBeau has also created an illusion that his long career is full of defensive coaching success. That's not the case.
Getty ImagesSource: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/49480806/ns/sports-nfl/
ncaa bracket ramon sessions portland trail blazers nba trade blagojevich new mexico state kevin rose
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.