Atlanta Falcons vs Pittsburgh Steelers 2010 NFL Week 1 Picks: The Pittsburgh Steelers will be without Ben Roethlisberger as they state their 2010 NFL season, Sunday Sept 12, against the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons won their last home meeting 41-38 in overtime. NFL oddsmakers at BODOG.com have the Falcons as -2.5 point road favorites over the Steelers while the game's total has been posted at 37.5 points . Be sure to get your Atlanta Falcons vs Pittsburgh Steelers 2010 NFL Week 1 Picks in now at BETUS.com
The Falcons offense never really got on track last season because slot receiver Harry Douglas got hurt early in training camp and running back Michael Turner started off slowly and later got banged up. That threw the whole offense out of whack. Douglas is healthy now, and Turner is in shape. You're going to see Ryan get a chance to shine in ways he never did last season. Turner is on a mission to prove his huge 2008 season wasn't a fluke. By his own admission, Michael Turner got fat and out of shape during the offseason before 2009, which is why he started slowly and why he got hurt last season . He's mad at himself and he's worked harder than ever on his conditioning. He's in top shape. The Falcons want to keep Turner to somewhere around 300 to 320 carries, and the plan is to make them all quality carries.
The Steelers have questions surrounding the quarterback position. Ben Roethlisberger is serving a four-game suspension and Byron Leftwich is injured, which leaves Dennis Dixon. The Steelers are known to do a lot of blitzing, but expect opposing defenses to do the same to their quarterbacks early in the season. So, look for a lot of eight-man fronts against Pittsburgh to stop the running game. Dixon obviously doesn't strike the same fear in opponents as Roethlisberger. Pittsburgh statistically was good on defense last season, finishing as the No. 5 unit in the NFL and ranking second in sacks with 47. But the Steelers' inability to hold leads in the fourth quarter was uncharacteristic. Troy Polamalu's healthy return from a left knee injury has helped Pittsburgh get back to form. Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is allowed to completely open his playbook again. So look for Pittsburgh to be able to bring more zone-blitz packages and better disguise them to help create more turnovers .
Recent Trends to Consider:
- Falcons are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings.
- Underdog is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings.
- Falcons are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games in Week 1.
- Steelers are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games in September.
Atlanta Falcons vs Pittsburgh Steelers
When: Sun, Sept 12, 1:00 PM ET
Line: BETUS.com
Pick: Steelers +1.5
Point-Spreads.com Atlanta Falcons vs Pittsburgh Steelers 2010 NFL Week 1 Picks
The Bottom Line: Defense wins games. Go Steelers. Be sure to get your Atlanta Falcons vs Pittsburgh Steelers 2010 NFL Week 1 Picks in now at BETUS.com and receive up to 155% in Cash Bonuses and start winning today!
