Football Betting – Saints Meet Up with Steelers

Fans of football betting are unquestionably scratching their heads when it comes to recent performances by the New Orleans Saints . and after what has to be the low point of their season, the Saints now have to meet up with the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Louisiana Superdome (artificial turf) in a matchup between the least two Super Bowl winners. It is the Sunday night game, televised on NBC, and the Saints are rated the 1.5-point favorites in the football betting odds, with the total posted at 44.5 points.

Pittsburgh Steelers (5-1 SU, 4-2 ATS) at New Orleans Saints (4-3 SU, 1-6 ATS)

Live at Louisiana Superdome
New Orleans, LA
Sunday, October 31– 8:20 PM ET
TV: NBC

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Football Betting Odds:

New Orleans -1.5
Pittsburgh +1.5
Total 44.5

With the exception of one game, the Saints have not been "in sync" all season. Drew Brees has completed almost 70% of his throws, but he has also been intercepted three times, which is unusual when you consider that he threw eleven all of last season, and that the most he’s had over a full 16-game schedule is 18. There is no question that the injuries to Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas have limited the kind of weaponry he has been able to use, and football bettors are getting on board more and more with that train of thought.

The New Orleans defense held Cleveland to 12 first downs, just two of 11 third down conversions, and 210 total yards last week, yet the team was beaten 30-17, because the Browns returned two Brees interceptions for TD’s, and made a monster special teams play when punter Reggie Hodges ran 68 yards with a fake punt, coming within one yard of becoming Cleveland’s rushing leader for the day.

Here are some of the NFL trends as they impact the betting odds on this game:

• Pittsburgh has won eight of its last nine games SU
• Pittsburgh has played five of its last seven road games OVER the total
• Pittsburgh has won four of its last five road games SU
• New Orleans has covered one of its last seven games
• New Orleans has played four of its last six games OVER the total
• New Orleans has won 19 of its last 25 games SU
• New Orleans has won 14 of its last 19 home games SU

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Is this just something out of character for this team? Or does it bears more of a resemblance to the injury-plagued 2008 campaign, when Drew Brees ran up some great numbers but New Orleans hobbled to an 8-8 record? Maybe a little of both. The Saints, who thrived on turnovers last year, aren’t getting many, having intercepted just four passes. But they have brought Darren Sharper back into the lineup, with the return of conerbacks Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter quite possible, and that should help. Football bettors should not forget some of the poor plays Ben Roethlisberger committed last week, including three fumbles and that play down at the Miami goal line that is still being talked about. Big Ben, if he retains that form, may be just the medicine Gregg Williams’ defensive unit is looking for.

Yes, football betting aficionados know that there are holes with the Saints. The running game is used to having a few options, and now the only viable one seems to be Chris Ivory. But Pittsburgh’s defense is not at full strength. Ziggy Hood has to step in for the injured Aaron Smith on the defensive line. He joins Casey Hampton on the sidelines. LaMarr Woodley is hobbled. James Harrison has been neutered. There is nothing automatic for the Steelers here, and Brees wasn’t the Super Bowl MVP for nothing; this is a big game for him to rebound from that horror story against Cleveland, and eight INT’s over the last three games. The switch in playing surfaces doesn’t help Pittsburgh either; they’ve done it only once this season and lost at Baltimore. Let’s go with the Saints as out football betting pick for Sunday night.

JAY’S PLAY: NEW ORLEANS -1.5 **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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