New England At Pittsburgh NFL Expert Predictions

When we looked at the schedule for this season, one of the games that jumped right off the page was the Week 7 match-up between the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers. These have been two of the best teams in the NFL for a number of years now, and the feeling was that this game might well end up being a preview of the AFC Championship Game later in the season. It might still end up being that way, but this particular game has seen some of the shine come off it with the news that the Steelers will be without Ben Roethlisberger who tore his meniscus in Week 6. That news has seen the betting odds shift dramatically, as the Patriots will now head into Heinz Field as a 7.5-point favorite, which is probably not anywhere near what we would have seen had Big Ben been the man under center for the Steelers. The Patriots now look like huge online betting favorites on paper, but there is a reason teams actually go out and play these games. It may be best not to write the Steelers off just yet.

In Depth Analysis On The New England Patriots At Pittsburgh Steelers NFL Expert Predictions

When: Saturday, October 23 at 4:25 PM ESTWhere: Heinz Field, PittsburghTV: CBSNFL Odds: TBA  

Why bet on the New England Patriots

With Tom Brady suspended for the first 4 games of the season, the hope was that Jimmy Garoppolo could keep the Patriots afloat during that stretch. He did more than that, leading his team to a 3-1 record. That certainly took some of the pressure off of Brady (not that he appears to feel it), and the Patriots have won the two games with Brady under center with the QB tossing for over 750 yards in those two wins. Brady is firing on all cylinders right now, but there are still some questions about the Patriots run game. This is a good Steelers defense that they are going up against, and New England Patriots will need to have all facets of their offense working in order to secure the win.

Why bet on the Pittsburgh Steelers

This Steelers defense has shown in the past that it has the ability to rise up and play tougher than normal when adversity strikes. With Roethlisberger out, the Pittsburgh D is going to have to come up big as is the running game. The Steelers need LeVeon Bell and DeAngelo Williams to pound that rock and keep the Patriots offense off the field. I don’t epect the coaching staff to ask too much of backup Landry Jones, but getting that run game going means the threat of play action. Antonio Brown and Sammie Coates have both proven to be deep threats this season, so the Patriots secondary is going to have to stay on their toes all day long.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

The outcome of this game is likely going to hinge on whether or not the Steelers can run the ball effectively. The Patriots are likely to load the box in order to stop it, and I think they will succeed.

New England Patriots 28 Pittsburgh Steelers 21