The 7-0 Pittsburgh Steelers head to Dallas to take on the reeling 2-6 Cowboys on Sunday at 4:25 PM.
Pittsburgh is coming off a substantial divisional win against the rival Ravens, 28-24. Dallas hasn’t scored a touchdown in two weeks and most recently lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 23-9.
With these teams on completely different spectrums, it’s not surprising to see the opening line favor the Steelers at -14.
The Latest for Dallas
The Cowboys have lost three straight without starting quarterback Dak Prescott, and there doesn’t appear to be much hope for a turnaround.
Dallas’ defense is historically bad, allowing 33 points per game and nearly 400 yards a contest to opposing offenses. Teams have been able to attack Dallas on the ground and through the air.
The defense did force four turnovers last week, but many attribute that to Carson comes Wentz’ continued regression and carelessness with the ball, as he leads the NFL with 16 turnovers.
On offense, it appears Dallas will be turning to their fourth-string quarterback with Andy Dalton concussed and rookie Ben DiNucci struggling. Coach Mike McCarthy hasn’t yet announced whether it will be Garrett Gilbert or Cooper Rush behind center this weekend.
It may not make much of a difference, as the offensive line is in shambles, and running back Ezekiel Elliott appears to be a shell of the player he once was.
Steelers’ Strength
Pittsburgh is the lone unbeaten in the NFL at 7-0 and seems well-positioned to advance to 8-0. The bigger question for bettors becomes if they can cover the massive 14-point spread.
Pittsburgh’s strengths are simple: get to the passer on defense and move the ball through the air on offense. There may not be a better recipe for success when game planning for Dallas than this.
The defense is led by edge-rushers TJ Watt (6.5 sacks), Bud Dupree (6 sacks), and Stephen Tuitt (6 sacks). All three will be licking their chops going against a pair of backup tackles and should be able to add to their already impressive totals.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is staking his claim for Comeback Player of the Year, as the 38-year-old has thrown for 1,628 yards while completing nearly 70% of his passes. Roethlisberger has 15 touchdowns and four interceptions on the year.
His success is aided by a trio of strong WRs in JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chase Claypool, and Diontae Johnson.
If you like betting on player props, it would be wise to find the touchdown values for these three players and bet on them to score. With touchdown props usually valued above +120, hitting on one of two, or two of three, will guarantee profits.
Running back James Conner has quietly had a good season, averaging 4.5 yards a carry and scoring five times. This defense is susceptible to big plays on the ground, so Conner should have opportunities to bring those numbers up.
The Pick
This game features the largest spread of the weekend, and it comes with good reason. The Steelers’ identity is built around exploiting the exact deficiencies Dallas has been showing every week, which lends itself to a blowout.
The pick is an easy one: Pittsburgh -14.
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