Steelers Saints Betting – Saints Recover For Close Win Over Steelers
Online betting players should be in for a good one on Sunday night, when the last two winners of the Super Bowl clash in New Orleans. The Saints are coming off a bad loss, while Pittsburgh was fortunate to come away with a win on the road. New Orleans’ star quarterback had one of his worst games last week, and he’ll bounce back to lead the Saints to a tough win in this one.
- What: NFL betting
- When: Sunday, October 31st, 8:20 PM ET
- Where: The Superdome, New Orleans, LA
- Pick: New Orleans Saints
What’s On The Line
The Pittsburgh Steelers (5-1) edged the Miami Dolphins 23-22 on the road, thanks to a controversial fumble recovery that probably was the wrong call. The New Orleans Saints (4-3) were thumped 30-17 at home by the Cleveland Browns in one of their worst performances in recent memory. The Saints have more at stake, since they were handled relatively easily at home by a team they should have beaten, and they haven’t looked like Super Bowl champions at all this season.
Offensive Matchups: Steelers Saints Betting
Pittsburgh’s offense is far different with Ben Roethlisberger back in the lineup: the Steelers are 26th in pass offense, but Roethlisberger has only been back two games, and he threw for 302 yards and a pair of scores against the Dolphins. The ground game wasn’t working against the Dolphins, and the Steelers would do well to keep some sort of balance to keep the pressure off Roethlisberger, who was sacked three times.
Drew Brees was terrible against the Browns, passing for 356 yards and two touchdowns, but he was also picked off four times, and two of them were run back for scores. The Saints were down 20-3 at halftime and had to abandon the running game, but it’s shocking how poor Brees was, and we don’t expect another outing like that, even against one of the NFL’s best defenses. They’re going to have to get the running game involved, though, or else Brees will be blitzed into oblivion.
Betting Edge: Saints
Defensive Matchups: Steelers Saints Betting
Pittsburgh ranks fourth in the league defensively, and they were great when it counted against the Dolphins, stopping them on all three red-zone opportunities. Even though James Harrison seemed to be the target of the new head-shot rules the NFL laid down, that didn’t change the Steelers’ plan in what was largely a defensive battle. Five minutes into the first quarter, the Steelers could have been down by two touchdowns; instead, it was two field goals.
The Saints held the Browns to 210 yards, but Cleveland’s offense didn’t really have to do much as the defense was busy running back Brees’ picks for scores. The Saints are one spot ahead of Pittsburgh in the defensive rankings as they’ve been conservative without safety Darren Sharper. Now he’s back, and the Saints will probably gamble a little bit more with blitz packages. If it comes to that though, it will be right up Pittsburgh’s alley.
Betting Edge: Steelers
Notable Injuries: Steelers Saints Betting
Linebacker Lamarr Woodley (hamstring) missed the Miami game and will have to be watched closely.
Corners Jabari Greer (shoulder) and Tracy Porter (knee) will likely be out for this game, while running backs Pierre Thomas (ankle) and Reggie Bush (leg) should also miss this game for the Saints.
Betting Edge: Steelers
Outlook and Pick: Steelers Saints Betting
The Saints will likely be favored by NFL betting odds at home, and this is Pittsburgh’s first trip to New Orleans since a 32-29 loss back in 2002. We don’t think this game will be as high-scoring, but we’re taking the Saints to bounce back with a win at home. Both defenses are playing well right now, so it’s going to be about which quarterback makes the fewest mistakes. You think Brees isn’t focused after throwing four picks against a lowly team like the Browns? If the Saints’ offensive line can keep him upright, Brees is going to have a big game against the Steelers, while Roethlisberger will show a little bit of rust after missing four games at the beginning of the year. Go with the Saints in your sports betting book.
Stan’s Pick: New Orleans Saints
