Pittsburgh Steelers at Miami Dolphins Odds
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s return to action was a success. He helped the Pittsburgh Steelers earn a 28-10 win over division rival Cleveland, while completing 16 of 27 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns. His second start of the season figures to provide a tougher challenge.
That start comes against a Miami team that pulled off a 23-20 upset win in overtime at Green Bay last week. Led by running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, the Dolphins used a solid ground game to control the clock, possessing the ball nearly 10 more minutes than the Packers.
NFL odds makers are expecting a battle between these two AFC playoff contenders this week, listing the Dolphins as a 3-point underdog with the total set at 40.
The Steelers sit alone at the top of the AFC North at 4-1, but it won’t be easy to keep that position. This Sunday’s game at Miami marks the first of three in a row on the road for the Steelers. Following this week, Pittsburgh will take on the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints and the reigning AFC North champion Cincinnati Bengals. Luckily, they have their starting quarterback back for this grueling stretch.
Big Ben received a warm ovation at home in his debut, but that won’t be the case on the road, where he can expect to hear plenty of jeers pertaining to his sexual assault allegations.
He’ll also have to compete with a Miami defense that ranks No. 9 in the league in yards allowed (311.2). The Dolphins have already defeated teams quarterbacked by Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, so Roethlisberger will have to be on top of his game.
Fortunately, he is backed up by the NFL’s No. 1 ranked scoring defense (12.0). Pittsburgh has especially been stout against the run, leading the league with only 63.8 rushing yards per game allowed.
Because teams aren’t having any success on the ground against Pittsburgh, they are trying their luck through the air. The Dolphins will likely have to do the same. This means that quarterback Chad Henne must be up for the challenge.
Henne was solid last week, completing 23 of 39 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns, but the Pittsburgh defense is a different animal.
Last season, Henne wouldn’t have had a very good shot against this stingy Pittsburgh defense, which resembles the Super Bowl unit of two years ago, but that’s not the case anymore.
With star wide receiver Brandon Marshall on the outside, Henne has a legit playmaker he can trust to come down with the football. Marshall caught 10 passes for 127 yards last week, and the Steelers figure to have their hands full with him Sunday.
This series has been dominated by the Steelers. Pittsburgh has won four in a row against Miami and seven of the last nine. The Steelers’ most recent win over the Dolphins came in Miami last season. Their six-point victory was plenty good enough to cover the 3-point spread.
In that game Roethlisberger was terrific, completing 18 of 27 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns. Henne completed 16 of 20 passes for 140 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
This week’s game could very well come down to which quarterback performs better.
Make sure you check to see if expert NFL handicapper Jimmy Boyd has a play on this matchup Sunday. His Sunday NFL releases are a dominant 10-4-1 the last three weeks. Bet with confidence by playing who Jimmy is playing Sunday.