NFL Football
2012-09-23 - Pittsburgh Steelers at Oakland Raiders
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States: NFL Football Week 3
Sunday 23 September 2012 - Kick Off 4:25pm
9:25pm (British Time)
Preview
The Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) are struggling through some injuries so they will be looking forward to their bye week to get their health back up, but even their issues are nothing compared with the Oakland Raiders (0-2). Oakland have a bunch of injuries that are hurting them on both sides of the ball, while hitching their wagon to Carson Palmer looks to have been the worst mistake they could have made last season.
Oakland's biggest playmaker on the Offense is Darren McFadden, but he has really been bottled up by opposing teams and I do have to wonder how healthy he is at the moment. The Raiders are only going at 2 yards per carry so far this season and the Steel Curtain is regularly one of the strongest Defenses against the run so McFadden may just be set for his third straight contest where he is limited.
That means we could see Carson Palmer shouldering the pressure again, although he is going against a Defense that is missing Troy Polamalu and James Harrison. It didn't matter so much last week as the Steelers shut down the New York Jets and the team are still limiting teams to under 200 yards per game through the air.
Pittsburgh should also be able to get to Palmer with their pass rush and Oakland may find themselves struggling on this side of the ball yet again.
Ben Roethlisberger continues playing behind a poor Offensive Line, but Oakland lost their sack leader Kamerion Wimbley in the off-season and Big Ben may just be able to take advantage of a Defense that has lost their two starting Corner Backs. The likes of Antonio Brown and Mike Wallace should be able to stretch the field and Roethlisberger could have his best passing game of the season.
The likes of Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer should also help the Steelers improve on their 2.6 yards per carry from the backfield this season as Oakland were hammered on the ground by Reggie Bush last week and that doesn't bode well for a Defense that allowed 5.1 yards per carry last season.
Head to Head
These two teams last met in the 2010 season when Pittsburgh crushed Oakland at home and covered the spread as 9 point favourites.
Oakland had previously won 2 in a row in the series and they are 4-2 against the spread in the last 6 games in the series.
The Raiders beat Pittsburgh in their last meeting here back in 2006.
Other Interesting Trends
Oakland are 1-4-1 against the spread in their last 6 games at home.
Pittsburgh haven't covered the spread in their last 5 road games. They are just 1-4 against the spread in their last 5 games against teams from the AFC.
Prediction
I am going to back the Pittsburgh Steelers to win this game and cover the spread for the following reasons:
First, I know they are making a long trip across the country, but the Steelers have a bye following this game and they are 4-1 against the spread ahead of their bye under Mike Tomlin.
Second, I don't like the way Oakland have been playing on both sides of the ball and their Defense seemed to mail it in last week against a rookie Quarter Back and the Miami Dolphins.
Third, the Raiders are just 2-4 against the spread as the home underdog in recent seasons.
Fourth, Oakland have some big injuries on both sides of the ball and I think the Steelers will have the more consistent success to win the game.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Oakland Raiders 16-24 Pittsburgh Steelers
