The Atlanta Falcons are favored in NFL betting on Sunday as they visit a Pittsburgh Steelers team that will be without starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Big Ben is suspended for the first four games of the season so he will not return for Pittsburgh until they play the Cleveland Browns. If you are going to make an NFL bet on the Steelers then you have to hope that Dennis Dixon does enough to get Pittsburgh the win.The Falcons are 2.5 point favorites with a total of 38 at the Sbg sportsbook. Atlanta is considered a dark horse candidate in the NFC this season to go to the Super Bowl. Some people are comparing them to last year’s Saints. The Falcons have a strong offense led by quarterback Matt Ryan and running back Michael Turner.
Gamblers Have Pounded the Falcons – Gamblers making an NFL bet just can’t get enough of the Falcons in this game. They have continually bet Atlanta since the line on this game came out. It would not be a surprise to see Atlanta go to a three-point favorite before game time. Anytime the public is in love with a game you have to be very, very careful about betting it. Yes, the Falcons seem like a great play but everyone and their brother seems to be on Atlanta so you want to show some caution on this game.
NFL odds and Trends Favor Atlanta – Not only do the odds favor the Falcons on Sunday, so do the trends. The Falcons are a superb 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games in Week 1. They are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games. The Falcons are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings against Pittsburgh. The only positive for Pittsburgh is that they are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games in Week 1. The Steelers are 0-3-1 ATS in their last 4 home NFL betting games and they are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games in September.
With Roethlisberger being out you have to treat all of the trends a little differently. Normally the Steelers are a team that goes over the total with Big Ben. They have gone over in 50 of their last 75 home games. The Steelers may be a team that goes under without Roethlisberger in the lineup.