Two teams that have a lot of questions to answer will tangle in the Steel City on Sunday afternoon when the Denver Broncos visit the PIttsburgh Steelers. The Broncos had run out to a 3-0 start, but those wins came over the New York Giants (1-3), the Jacksonville Jaguars (0-4) and the New York Jets (1-3). Their fourth game came against a Baltimore Ravens team building into AFC contender status, and they lost at home, 23-7 — and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater had to go into the concussion protocol, which could leave Drew Lock as the starter for Sunday. The Steelers managed to win at Buffalo in their opener but have not won since, losing at home to Las Vegas and Cincinnati, and then losing in Green Bay last week, as questions about the viability of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger continue to swell.
Which team will win this AFC clash? We have our online NFL betting thoughts for you.
NFL Preview: Denver Broncos at Pittsburgh Steelers (Sunday, October 10)
When: Sunday, October 10, 1:00 pm ET
Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh
TV: CBS
Radio: WTMJ 620 AM Milwaukee / WLW 700 AM Cincinnati
Live Stream: Hulu
NFL Odds: Pittsburgh -1 / O/U 39.5 // Denver -105 / Pittsburgh -115
Why should you bet on the Broncos?
If Teddy Bridgewater can go for Denver, then the Broncos should roll with an offensive game plan that mirrors their first three wins: pound the ball with tailbacks Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams, and then use Bridgewater when necessary to take shots down the field to Tim Patrick and Courtland Sutton. The defense is solid enough to contain Pittsburgh, so if Denver can have some sustained drives, then they should be able to win.
The Denver defense needs to focus on shutting down Najee Harris and the Pittsburgh running game. The Steelers are last in the NFL in rushing yards per contest, and Denver is fifth in the league in rushing yards permitted. If the Broncos can continue to leverage that, they have a real chance. What if Drew Lock has to play quarterback, though? It’s all about coming up with conservative offensive looks that take advantage of Denver’s line strength and keep the ball away from the Pittsburgh offense. Ben Roethlisberger has turned the ball over five times in four games, and the Broncos need to keep in his face on passing downs.
Why should you put your money on the Steelers?
Pittsburgh does have a stout front seven on defense. That means that they should be able to pick up some tackles for loss and pressure either Bridgewater or Lock into making poor decisions with the ball. However, with the receiving talent that Denver has at its disposal, if the quarterbacks can get the ball out quickly, then the pressure might not matter. This will be a true test of the Steel Curtain’s secondary.
If you like Pittsburgh, you see either Bridgewater or Lock making enough mistakes to give Pittsburgh short fields. This happened in the Steelers’ opening win against Buffalo, where a special teams touchdown gave the Steelers the win on a day when the Bills’ offense could not get out of its own way. The Steelers make some mistakes, but they thrive on waiting for their opponent to make more.
Final Score and Betting Prediction
For me, this game really comes down to which quarterback the Broncos can trot out there, so I’m not putting down money until Denver announces a starter. With Bridgewater, the Broncos have the offensive personnel to wear down the Steeler defense, and either way, their defense should be able to limit what Ben Roethlisberger and Najee Harris can do. With Lock, the Broncos are more likely to make enough mistakes for the Steelers to get the win.
NFL Betting Odds
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