NFL Betting
Pittsburgh Steelers (5-1) at Denver Broncos (2-3)
Sunday, 8:15 pm Eastern – NBC

Opening Line: Steelers -3.5 , Total 39

The Denver Broncos will try and keep their season from coming apart as they host the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NBC Sunday night game. The Broncos are 2-3 and a loss would send them to 2-4 and put them in serious trouble.  The Broncos had a bye last week and it may have been a good thing as they were coming off their worst home loss in 40 years as San Diego crushed them 41-3.

"One thing you can't do is dwell on it," Denver cornerback Champ Bailey said. "You learn from it and you keep moving on. You worry about that loss and the next team will get you."  Denver has the worst rushing defense in the league, although they have the best defense against the pass but that number is skewed since teams are running at will. "I know to people it looks like, 'Oh, this team is awful,'" safety John Lynch said. "But that's not the case. We've got to show it."  It is not a good matchup for the Broncos as the Steelers have the second-ranked rushing offense in the league, averaging 167 yards per game.  Playing defense and running the ball usually results in winning games and that is exactly what Pittsburgh is doing.  "They're pretty good," Denver coach Mike Shanahan said. "Any time you give up 9.4 points per game and 235 yards and have a point differential (that) is tied with New England, you’re pretty good, so I think they’re playing extremely well."

Pittsburgh is 5-1 but has not gotten much attention since New England and Indianapolis are still unbeaten.  Pittsburgh expects to get injured players Hines Ward, Troy Polamalu and Santonio Holmes back this week from injuries.

Current Line: Steelers -3.5 , Total 39

Denver is 15-10 all-time against Pittsburgh and has won three straight at home versus the Steelers.

Here are the betting stats for Sunday’s game.  The Steelers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall. The Steelers are 8-2-1 ATS in their last 11 games as a favorite. The Steelers are 21-7-1 ATS in their last 29 games in October. The road team is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings between the two teams.

The Broncos are 5-17 ATS in their last 22 games overall. The Broncos are 1-11 ATS in their last 12 home games. The Broncos are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games as an underdog.

The Over is 8-0 in the Broncos last 8 home games. The Over is 4-1 in the Broncos last 5 games as an underdog. The Over is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings between the two teams.