The NFL’s two Pennsylvania teams square off on Sunday afternoon as the 2-5 Pittsburgh Steelers head east to take on the 6-0 Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles come out of their bye week after fending off the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday night, watching a 20-0 lead turn into a 20-17 nailbiter and then adding six points to win by nine. The Steelers managed to hold Miami scoreless in the second half last week, but rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter to keep giving Miami the ball back. Can Pickett do a better job against an Eagles defense that picked off Dallas quarterback Cooper Rush three times in prime time? Don’t miss our online betting prediction.
NFL Preview: Pittsburgh Steelers at Philadelphia Eagles
(Sunday, October 30)
When: Sunday, October 30, 2022, 1:00 pm ET
Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
TV: CBS
Radio: WDVE 102.5 FM Pittsburgh / WIP 94.1 FM Philadelphia
Live Stream: Sling TV
NFL Odds: Philadelphia -11 / O/U 43 // Philadelphia -550 / Pittsburgh +400
Why should you bet on the Steelers?
Pittsburgh tends to get up for big opponents. They held off the Cincinnati Bengals in overtime in the opener, but then they lost to New England, Cleveland, the Jets and Buffalo. They then edged Tampa Bay at home by two before losing to Miami. Pickett threw for 257 yards and a touchdown, but three picks overall helped doom the team’s chances. Tailback Najee Harris had limited productivity, carrying the ball 17 times for just 65 yards.
Pittsburgh’s offense was productive against Miami, picking up 341 yards and making 19 first downs. They were not good on third downs, only converting four of 14 opportunities, and those three interceptions were not helpful. The Steelers have covered in three of their last five games coming after a win against the spread, and they have covered in 27 of their last 39 October games. They have a sneaky-solid defense, and this is a big line (it started at Philadelphia -10 and has snuck a point since then). If you’re going to take the Steelers, I might wait and see if that line ticks up another half-point or even another full point.
Why should you put your money on the Eagles?
Philadelphia started the season by holding off Detroit in the opener. Since then, they have taken down Minnesota, Washington, Jacksonville, Arizona and Dallas. In the win over Dallas, Jalen Hurts threw for just 155 yards but had a pair of touchdown passes. Tailback Miles Sanders carried the ball 18 times for 71 yards and found the end zone.
Philadelphia has covered five of their last seven games at home and four of their last five games overall. Week 8 has, weirdly, been very kind to the Eagles, as they have covered in five straight Week 8 matchups. Hurts seems to improve in confidence and production with each passing week, and his solid decision-making means that opposing defenses aren’t having an easy time finding turnovers. If you like the Eagles, you see their solid play on both sides of the ball taking advantage of a weak Pittsburgh secondary and a rookie quarterback.
Final Score and Prediction
Pittsburgh has an opportunistic defense and the sort of offensive line that can open holes and protect the passer. They should be able to sustain drives against the Eagles unless Pickett finds the interception bug again. Philadelphia has had the bye to prepare for this game, but this also smells like a bit of a trap after that big prime-time win. I predict a final score of Philadelphia 23, Pittsburgh 16.
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