The Pittsburgh Steelers are off to an 0-2 SU start for the first time since 2002, and are a rare home underdog Sunday night at Heinz Field against the Chicago Bears.
Chicago Bears vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: Betting odds, preview and prediction
Pittsburgh is a rare home underdog, and the Steelers have proven to be tough in that position. The Chicago Bears are Week 3 NFL odds chalk, and the computer likes the Bears to win.
Kirk Irwin
The Steelers are a 2.5-point home underdog, just the fifth time in Mike Tomlin’s long tenure that Pitt gets points at home, according to OddsShark.com. They are 8-1-1 ATS in 10 games as a home pup since 2000.
After finishing near the bottom of the league in rushing last year, the Steelers look even worse running the football in 2013, compiling just 75 rushing yards for the first two games of the season.
With no running game to keep opposing defenses honest, Pittsburgh’s offense has stalled out of the gate in a 16-9 home loss to Tennessee and a 20-10 road loss to Cincinnati. The defense still looks sharp, but it hasn’t been able to compensate for the offense.
It hasn't been easy for the Chicago Bears, but they've gotten off to a 2-0 SU and 0-1-1 ATS start with come-from-behind wins at home against the Cincinnati Bengals and Minnesota Vikings. Neither the offense nor the defense have looked excellent so far this season, but both units have done enough in the clutch to pick up SU victories.
The defense should be able to handle Pittsburgh’s anemic offense, but the offense will have a tough assignment on the road against this defense.
On paper, the Bears appear to be the better team this year, and it is hard to make a strong case for the Steelers with the way their offense is playing. But with Chicago off to a 2-0 SU start and Pittsburgh at 0-2 SU, desperation is clearly on the side of the Steelers.
And with a team and city as proud as Pittsburgh’s, we aren’t quite ready to stick the nail in the coffin on this team just yet.
PICK: Pittsburgh +2.5 | Computer Prediction: 20-11 Chicago (from Odds Shark NFL picks computer)
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