Will the real football team please stand up?
In Week 1, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles went on the road and won.
The Eagles blew up Atlanta with an explosive offense that fueled a 32-6 win.
And Pittsburgh gutted out a 23-16 victory over Buffalo, who remains one of the favorites in the AFC.
But last week, everything turned. The Eagles offense stalled out in a 17-11 home loss to San Francisco.
And the Steelers stumbled mightily in a 26-17 home loss to Oakland.
So now, with both teams sitting amid the haze of a 1-1 record, Week 3 might help to reveal the real picture,
Who’s good? Who isn’t?
Maybe we’ll know a few more answers on Monday.
Let’s take a quick look at some prop bets at Pennsylvania’s sportsbooks to get you ready for Sunday’s games.
Can the Steelers overcome their injuries to beat the Bengals?
Pittsburgh’s injury report isn’t pretty. Ben Roethlisberger is questionable with a pectoral injury. T.J. Watt is also questionable with a groin that caused an early exit from last week’s game. And Certainly, those injuries are impacting the spread. DraftKings Sportsbook has the Steelers as just three-point favorites in their game with Cincinnati at 1 p.m. Sunday at Heinz Field. Pittsburgh is -170 on the moneyline, while the Bengals are +150. The game’s total is set at 43.5 points.
Will the Eagles move to first place in the NFC East?
Philadelphia plays Dallas, a divisional opponent, at 8:15 pm on Monday night. And the winner will move into at least a tie for first place in the NFC East.
DraftKings Sportsbook has the Cowboys as a 3.5 point favorite on Monday Night Football. Dallas has a moneyline price of -200, while the Eagles are +170. The game’s over/under is set at 51.5.
Can the Steelers’ offense finally produce a big game?
Pittsburgh’s defense carried the team to a Week 1 win, but couldn’t repeat the feat in Week 2. In both games, the offense was unimpressive.
However, another chance arrives on Sunday. DraftKings has Pittsburgh’s touchdown total set at 2.5, with the over priced at -140. The under is +100. Complicating matters of course is Ben Roethlisberger’s injury, which would seem to leave him somewhat limited Sunday – or perhaps even worse.
At the moment, DraftKings doesn’t even have any props posted on Roethlisberger considering his uncertain status.
Will the quarterbacks run wild on Monday night?
The Eagles-Cowboys showdown on Monday night features two of the league’s more interesting quarterbacks – Jalen Hurts and Dak Prescott. And DraftKings has a special wager posted for the game, paying out +500 odds if both players record a rushing touchdown in the game.
Will Najee Harris finally break out?
The Steelers rookie running back has yet to crack 50 yards in either of the team’s first two games.
But Harris has flashed enough ability that oddsmakers have placed his total for this week at 65.5 yards. Each side of the Over/Under is priced at -110.
Currently, the Bengals rank inside the top 10 in rush defense, giving up just 3.4 yards per carry.
Bengals-Steelers: Who scores first?
Another prop bet at DraftKings promises an earlier payout in Sunday’s game. The Steelers are priced at -135 to score first. The Bengals are +105.
Who will lead the Steelers receivers?
Chase Claypool currently has the highest over/under among Steelers receivers with a total of 64.5 at DraftKings Sportsbook. Juju Smith-Schuster is close behind at 59.5 yards.
In last Sunday’s game with the Raiders, Claypool had three catches for 70 yards. Smith-Schuster had six catches for 41 yards.
The Bengals currently rank in the bottom half of the league’s pass defenses by giving up 7.3 yards/attempt.
Can the Eagles pull off the upset?
It’s no secret that fans like to bet on their favorite team. And for Eagles fans, that faith could bring a bigger return Monday considering the Eagles’ underdog status. The ante could get raised even further with a winning margin bet. And if the Eagles win by a big number, the profits grow exponentially. Here’s a breakdown of Philadelphia’s winning margin prices:
- Eagles to win by 1-6: +290
- Eagles to win by 7-12: +750
- Eagles to win by 13-18: +1700
- Eagles to win by 19-24: +3500
- Eagles to win by 25-30: +6000
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The NFL‘s Week 3 began last night with the Panthers beating the Texans 24-9 in Houston on Thursday Night Football.
Here in Pennsylvania, the teams have had a Jekyll and Hyde start to the season.
Maybe they’re good. Maybe they’re not.
No one really knows yet.
So will the real football team please stand up?
