Pittsburgh is 0-2 for the first time since 2002, but the Steelers are a proud franchise and Pro Edge Sports expect a very focused effort from Mike Tomlin’s squad on Sunday night. The good news for Pittsburgh fans is the fact that the Steelers are 25-6 SU and 21-10 ATS at home after playing the Bengals, while quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is 11-3 SU and ATS following a double-digit loss, including 2-0 SU and ATS as an underdog. Here are additional reasons for why our experts believe the Pittsburgh Steelers are live underdogs Sunday night:
Chicago Bears at Pittsburgh Steelers (+2) (-110)
- Pittsburgh fields one of the best defenses in the league as the Steelers rank 6th in Defensive Yards per Play;
- Overall, Pittsburgh is 0.1 yards per rush play, 0.2 yards per pass attempt, 0.2 yards per play and 17.7 yards per point better than average defensively this season;
- Roethlisberger should have success throwing the ball against a Chicago secondary that is allowing 252 passing yards per game on 8.0 yards per pass attempt;
- Overall, Chicago’s defense has yielded 25.5 points per game on 252 passing yards (8.0 yards per pass attempt) and 345 total yards (5.9 yards per play; 13.5 yards per point);
- The Bears are learning new schemes on both sides of the ball under 1st-year head coach Marc Trestman, a CFL transplant. Chicago’s offense is only 0.1 yards per play better than average in 2013 (5.8 yards per play against teams that combine to allow 5.7 yards per play).
Pro Edge scouts of reported improvement in Chicago’s offensive line, but that unit did not play as well in week two against the Vikings. Our technical database chimes in with the fact that Sunday night NFL home underdogs are 18-9-1 ATS off a double-digit loss versus an opponent off a win, which makes sense in that the NFL is a contrarian league. Head coach Mike Tomlin is 4-2 SU and ATS following consecutive defeats, and he will have his team ready to face an overrated Chicago squad. Grab the points in this game!