New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Pittsburgh Steelers (-4.5)
Game Total Line: (45)
(wagering lines available at 5Dimes)

The Steelers (6-2, 5-3 ATS) return home after a three-game road swing. Last week's 27-21 win over Cincinnati was good enough to cover the 5-point spread, not to mention snapping a two-game losing streak on NFL odds.

With Ben Roethlisberger struggling for the second straight week, Pittsburgh turned to Rashard Mendenhall to move the chains. Mendenhall delivered a rock-solid performance, racking up 99 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. He also caught three passes for another 31 yards. Roethlisberger, meanwhile, managed just 163 yards on 27 pass attempts. Most of his problems originate with a leaky line that has been devastated by injuries. Tackle Max Starks suffered a neck injury against the Bengals, ending his season. That leaves Pittsburgh without either of its starting tackles entering the season (Willie Colon is also on injured reserve).

The Steelers have been excellent defending the run, holding opponents to just 58 yards per game. The pass "D" has been vulnerable, though, ranking just 24th in the NFL. Terrell Owens terrorized Pittsburgh, racking up 10 catches for 141 yards and a pair of scores in last week's victory. The team managed four sacks, though, and should be steady against the pass on Sunday-the Patriots don't have a receiver of Owens' caliber.

New England (6-2, 4-3-1 ATS) had its five-game winning streak snapped by last week's 34-14 loss at Cleveland. The Patriots had been rolling against the spread, going 3-0-1 in their past four games, but they failed to cover as a 4.5-point favorite against the Browns.

Nothing went right for the Patriots. Typically one of the better teams in the NFL at protecting the ball-the Pats have a +5 turnover margin this year-New England fell apart, turning it over three times. The lack of a deep threat is also clearly hurting the offense; Tom Brady has averaged just 207 yards per game over his last three outings. No player has been more affected than Wes Welker, however. He's averaging just 44 yards per game with a high of 70, and he hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 2. Running the ball likely won't be an option against Pittsburgh, so Brady and Co. will have to step up.

So will the defense, which is getting gouged for 23 points per game. The Patriots are brutal against the pass, allowing 268 yards per game (29th in the NFL). Blaming the secondary is probably a mistake-it's the pass rush that isn't getting the job done. New England has only 13 sacks so far, 24th in the league. Colt McCoy made his third career NFL appearance last week, yet New England failed to sack him even once.

New England and Pittsburgh last met in 2008, when the Steelers won 33-10, easily covering as a one-point favorite. The victory snapped three-game winning streak both straight up and against the spread for New England. The total has gone over in six of the last seven meetings between the Pats and Steelers. Bodog has set the total for Sunday's game at 45 points.

Point Spread Pick

Take the Patriots +4.5 at 5Dimes and get reduced juice betting on game day!