NFL nut Kyle Robins (@AhhYeahKyleYeah) shares his expert opinion on the best bets available from Monday Night Football.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Tuesday 25th September 2018, 01:15 | Sky Sports
Well… somehow, it’s already Week 3. Lucky for us, this one has everything pointing towards a shoot-out, meaning points, points, points.
You would have been hard-tasked to find the person who predicted heading into Week 3, the Steelers would be winless and the Buccaneers would be 2-0, putting up 75 points along the way. The Ftizmagic effect is in full swing down in Tampa, and it shows no signs of slowing down.
The team from Florida lead the league in total offence through two weeks, averaging 482 total yards per-game, and unless you’re Tom Brady in Superbowl 52, that amount of offence is going to win you games.
Now whilst there’s obviously doubters to this Bucs teams, and the questions will continue as to whether they can sustain this level of play.
I genuinely don’t see them slowing down this week, thanks in part to the Steelers’ defensive play through the first two weeks – or should I say lack thereof. They’re allowing close to 390 yards per-game, whilst allowing the fifth most points in the league thus far (63).
Remarkably, the Buccaneers are ranked lower than their counterparts from Pittsburgh, allowing a whooping 443 yards per-game – second worse in the league, only to the Kansas City Chiefs. And somehow both those teams sit at 2-0. It’s a funny old game.
Yes, I said I think the Bucs can sustain their offensive output this week, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I think they’ll win.
OK, everything seems to be going against the Steelers, what with Antonio Brown missing practice Monday, and the constant drama surrounding Le’Veon Bell. But neither of those superstars play defence, and scoring hasn’t been an issue for Pittsburgh through its first two games.
Ranked second only to the Buccaneers, Big Ben (Roethlisberger) and his Steelers offence are putting up close to 474 yards per-game, only to be let down on the defensive side of the ball. A similar story could be told of the Buccaneers if they were sat winless. But they’re not. They found a way to win.
That’s a motto Pittsburgh will have to abide by come Monday night. Lose and they’re sat at 0-2-1, in a downward spiral and facing a potentially miserable season. Win, and everything will be rosy again.
The betting angles
Rarely do you get a game with the two highest-scoring offences and two of league’s worst defences battling it out, but we have the joy of that this week. And whilst its easy to point that fact out and tip the overs, I just can’t see any other outcome, until either team shows me some defence.
The total points line for this game is currently set at 53.5, and whilst I think the 19/20 with Betfair for the overs is great value, I’ll be looking slightly higher and taking Over 59.5 Points at 17/10 with Unibet.
This is a game I could see Pittsburgh once again, like last week, playing catch-up, and if they are to go behind early, Big Ben (Roethlisberger) could be forced into slinging it a lot more. He threw for 452 yards on the Chiefs last week, and could potentially come close to that number again.
Take him on Over 304.5 Passing Yards at 10/11 with SkyBet, and have a poke on JuJu Smith Schuster to score a touchdown at anytime (11/8 William Hill).
Best Bets
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Over 59.5 Points (17/10 Unibet)
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers – JuJu Smith Schuster anytime touchdown (11/8 William Hill)
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Ben Roethlisberger Over 304.5 Passing Yards (10/11 SkyBet)
