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NFL Prediction: Pittsburgh Steelers vs Houston Texans |
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Written by Scott Burgess
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Friday, 05 September 2008
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 The Pittsburgh Steelers look to get off to another hot start, Sunday September 7, when they take on the Houston Texans, at Heinz Field. Pittsburgh is well known for their winning streaks at the start of the season, but it’s their losing streak at the end that gets oddsmakers riled up. NFL Oddsmakers at SBGglobal.com have the Pittsburgh Steelers as -6 ½ point favorites over the Houston Texans with the over/under set at 43 points. Get your NFL Prediction: Pittsburgh Steelers vs Houston Texans in now at SBGglobal.com
The Pittsburgh Steelers won nine of their first 12 games last year under new coach Mike Tomlins control. Then they dropped three of their final four regular-season games, barely hung on to win the AFC North, and then they made a swift exit from the playoffs. This year their success will depend on the arm of QB Ben Roethlisberger, who completed more than 65 percent of his passes for 3,154 yards and 32 touchdowns, the fourth-most in the NFL. What’s even better was his interception reduction, the previous year he threw 23, last year he had only 11. They got Roethlisberger some extra help, they got running back Rashard Mendenhall to help spell Willie Parker, they added Limas Sweed to a receiving corps that includes Super Bowl XL MVP Hines Ward and emerging star Santonio Holmes. Pittsburgh had the NFL's top-ranked defense last season, allowing 266 yards per game. Second-year linebackers LaMarr Woodley and Lawrence Timmons, both of whom saw limited time as rookies, will both get more chances to wreak havoc.
The Houston Texans finished with their first non-losing record ever. They won three of their final four and had an offense that averaged 29 points per game during this stretch. QB Matt Schaub was injured during their run. He has one of the best receivers in Andre Johnson who led the league with 103 receptions in 2006 and had 60 in nine games last season, missing the other seven with a sprained knee. The Texans running game is questionable, veteran Chris Brown will miss the season with a sore back, and Ahman Green has a nagging groin injury. That means more carries for little-used Chris Taylor and rookie Steve Slaton. It’s looking like they’ll be taking to the air for most of the season.
Recent Trends to Consider:
- Texans are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 vs. AFC.
- Texans are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 road games.
- Steelers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games in Week 1.
- Steelers are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 home games.
- Over is 6-0 in Steelers last 6 games in Week 1.
- Over is 4-0 in Steelers last 4 games overall.
NFL Prediction: Pittsburgh Steelers vs Houston Texans
When: Sun, Sept 7, 2008 1:00 PM ET
Line: SBGglobal.com
Pick: Pittsburgh -6 ½
Point-Spreads.com NFL Prediction: Pittsburgh Steelers vs Houston Texans – Pittsburgh -6 ½
The Bottom Line: The Steelers are killers on defense and offense, while Ben Roethlisberger loves throwing the longball. Get your NFL Prediction: Pittsburgh Steelers vs Houston Texans in now at SBGglobal.com and receive a 30% sign-up bonus on your initial deposit! Get on board for an entire season of our NFL Football Picks; we are prepped and ready roll through the full slate of 2008 NFL Football action. Also, make sure you check out our live NFL Betting Odds feed which provides real time point spreads from the top internet sports books in the world, all in one easy to use location. Get line moves in real time and find out which NFL teams have the Best NFL Odds.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 04 September 2008 )
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