The Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers will face off on the grass at Heinz Field. This early afternoon game gets going at 1:00 p.m. ET and fans can catch it live by tuning in to FOX.
Betting Preview: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Atlanta Falcons
In this Sunday matchup, Pittsburgh has been projected as the favorite and the team’s currently giving up 3 points. The Falcons are also receiving +130 moneyline odds while the Steelers are -150. Oddsmakers have set the over/under (O/U) at 57 points, and if one squad gets out in front early, it will likely produce a solid live betting opportunity.
The early action has shifted in favor of both the Steelers and the over. The opening line was originally placed at -2 and the O/U was initially just 55.5.
The Falcons are down 2.9 units so far and 1-3 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an O/U record of 3-1.
The Steelers have lost 2.2 units this season. The team is 1-3 ATS and the over has hit in three of its games.
The Falcons have gone 1-3 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Steelers are 1-2-1 SU.
The Falcons fell to Cincinnati 37-36 in a Week 4 game where their secondary allowed the Bengals to air it out for 337 yards and three touchdowns. Tyler Boyd had a productive day for the Bengals in that one with 100 yards on 11 catches. On the offensive side, Matt Ryan completed 29 passes on 39 attempts for 419 yards and three touchdowns. Tevin Coleman (51 rushing yards on 14 attempts) spearheaded the running attack while Julio Jones (nine receptions, 173 yards) and Mohamed Sanu (six catches, 111 yards) handled the receiving duties in the defeat.
Pittsburgh just fell 26-14 to Baltimore in Week 4. The defensive secondary allowed the Ravens to air it out for 363 yards and two touchdowns. John Brown put up a productive outing in the win, recording 116 yards on three catches for Baltimore. For Pittsburgh, Ben Roethlisberger completed 27-of-47 passes for 274 yards, one touchdown and one interception. James Conner (19 rushing yards on nine attempts) spearheaded the running game while Switzer (seven receptions, 32 yards) and Vance McDonald (five catches, 62 yards) led the pass-catching corps in the loss.
Atlanta has run the ball on 39.8 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Pittsburgh has an overall rush percentage of 30.3 percent. The Falcons have produced 96.0 rush yards per game and have four touchdowns on the ground this year. The Steelers are putting up 72.3 rushing yards per game and have four total rush TDs.
If 2018 numbers are any indication, then it seems like the Steelers ought to hold an advantage in the trenches. Their offensive line has yielded only nine sacks while their D-line has registered 13 sacks. The Falcons O-line has allowed 10 sacks and their defense has got to opposing QBs just eight times.
The Falcons offense has averaged 329.0 yards in the air overall and has 10 passing scores so far. The Steelers have put up 353.5 pass yards per outing and have eight total pass TDs.
Defensively, Atlanta seems to have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has let opponents run for an average of 119.0 yards and pass for 300.0 yards per game. The Pittsburgh defense has allowed 324.3 yards per game to opposing passers and 115.8 yards per game on the ground. The Falcons are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 6.63 to opponents, while the Steelers have allowed a 7.39 ANY/A.
Offensively, Ryan has amassed 942 passing yards on the year, and has connected on 73-of-110 attempts with five scores through the air and two interceptions. Ryan’s got a 7.78 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 11.53 over the past two outings.
Look for Ryan to spread the ball around early and often in this one. Julio Jones (148 receiving yards), Calvin Ridley (118 yards, three TDs) and Mohamed Sanu (148 yards) have all been heavily involved recently, seeing 18, 14 and 16 targets respectively over the last two games.
In the host locker room, Ben Roethlisberger has managed to complete 89-of-148 passes for 1,061 yards, five TDs and four INTs. Roethlisberger’s ANY/A sits at 6.10 for the season and 6.63 over his last two outings.
Look for a balanced attack offensively from Pittsburgh in this one. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Vance McDonald and James Conner have combined to account for 489 yards from scrimmage as a trio over the last two games.
Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers NFL Pick
SU Winner: Steelers, ATS Winner: Steelers, O/U: Over
Team Betting Trends
- The Pittsburgh defensive unit has sacked opposing QBs 13 times this season. Atlanta has recorded eight sacks.
- Pittsburgh has lost four fumbles in 2018 while the Atlanta offense has yet to lose any.
- Both teams have produced four pass plays of 40 or more yards. The Falcons have have made 12 pass plays of 30+ yards while the Steelers have accounted for eight such plays.
- The Atlanta defense has allowed one pass play of 40+ yards, while Pittsburgh has given up three such plays.
- Both defenses have produced two rushing plays of 20 or more yards. The Atlanta offense has recorded nine running plays of 10+ yards while Pittsburgh has accounted for seven such plays.
- Both teams have allowed three rushing play of 20+ yards. The Falcons have given up 16 running plays of 10+ yards while the Steelers have given up 14 such plays.
- Atlanta has averaged 3.97435897435897 yards per carry over its past three games and 3.0 over its last two.
- Pittsburgh has averaged 2.8 yards per carry over its last three contests and 2.9 over its last two.
