Which Pittsburgh Steelers team will we see in Week 1? Will it be the defensive juggernaut that started 2020 with an 11-0 record? Or will it be the stuffy, stilted team that lost four out of five down the stretch, including the wild card playoff game at home against Cleveland, to see their season slide into the dumpster? In 2020, Pittsburgh never got a true bye week, as COVID-19 issues on other rosters forced the Steelers through the sort of schedule changes that denied them a full week of rest. They open their shot at redemption with a visit to Buffalo, a team that has been waiting to get back on the field after losing in Kansas City in last year’s AFC Championship.
Which team will prevail? Don’t miss our online NFL betting preview.
NFL Preview: Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills (Sunday, September 12)
When: Sunday, September 12, 2021, 1:00 pm ET
Where: Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, NY
TV: CBS
Radio: WDVE 102.5 FM Pittsburgh / WGR 550 AM Buffalo
Live Stream: Hulu
NFL Odds: Buffalo -6.5 / O/U 48.5
Why should you bet on the Steelers?
The Pittsburgh offense should be terrific. At wide receiver, Big Ben has Chase Claypool, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Pat Freiermuth is a rookie tight end who looks like the real deal, a tall target for the red zone. The tailback is new in town, a rookie from Alabama named Najee Harris. Those four players at the skill position give Pittsburgh a wealth of riches, but can Ben Roethlisberger find them? No quarterback got rid of the ball more quickly than Big Ben did in 2020, which means that his receivers did not always have time to get down the field before the ball was out.
The defense should continue to mount a furious pass rush, which should continue to create takeaways for the offense. In the preseason, the Steelers looked decent, holding three opponents to an average of 13 points per game before giving up 34 in a beating at the hands of the Panthers in the preseason finale — but that game generally features the reserves in large quantity. If you like Pittsburgh, then you see Big Ben looking like he looked a year or two ago and the Buffalo defense still needing to figure out how to add in their new pieces.
Why should you put your money on the Bills?
Buffalo went 13-3 last season and won the AFC East for the first time in 26 seasons. They had a tough time in their preseason opener, edging Detroit by one, but then they beat Chicago and Green Bay by a combined score of 60-15. In the game against Green Bay, Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen threw for 194 yards and a pair of touchdown passes, showing that he was ready for the regular season.
One of the knocks against Buffalo was that their defense was not quite as ready as their offense to play at an elite level. We did not see these concerns come to light against Baltimore in the playoffs, but they were easy for Kansas City to exploit in the AFC Championship. If you like the Bills here, you see them largely taking care of business against a team they beat by double figures last season. The Bills have covered in five of the last six games in which they were considered a favorite.
Final Score and Betting Prediction
It will be hard for Pittsburgh to get the stagnation out of their offense with Big Ben still at the helm. Even with a couple more playmakers at the skill positions, the Steelers could still have difficulty moving the ball if Roethlisberger has a hard time firing passes down the field. The Bills made significant changes on the defensive side of the ball. Can they take advantage and start another title run?
NFL Betting Odds
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