Football Odds – Pittsburgh Adjusts To Life Without Big Ben

The story of the first home game of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season is not hard to identify. It’s spelled: R-O-E-T-H-L-I-S-B-E-R-G-E-R. His absence will clearly affect the football odds.

Atlanta Falcons @ Pittsburgh Steelers 
Sunday, September 12th – 1:00 PM ET 
Heinz Field, Pittsburgh 
Broadcast: FOX 
NFL Football Odds: Falcons -2, Steelers +2 
Total: 38

Six games. That’s how long Big Ben Roethlisberger – unquestioned hero of Super Bowl XLIII – will sit on the bench at the start of this NFL season, with the possibility that the suspension will be reduced to four games by commissioner Roger Goodell. Roethlisberger’s absence will make his presence in the Sunday storyline quite conspicuous, as the Steelers – reeling from their offseason of chaos and disruptions – return to the field and try to rebuild their level of play. This game also marks the first regular-season game for Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan since the Boston College product injured his toe three-fourths of the way through the 2009 NFL campaign. Ryan is healthier, and he’ll need to be in the saddle for all 16 games – without appreciable physical deficiencies – if the Falcons are to return to the playoffs after missing out on the postseason last year. 

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Football Odds: What The Falcons Have To Do To Win 

There’s just no getting around it. Atlanta knows that with Dennis Dixon quarterbacking Pittsburgh and Charlie Batch backing him up, Pittsburgh is severely disadvantaged in this game. The Steelers’s offense is also without Santonio Holmes, the dynamic receiver and playmaker who is now wearing a New York Jets uniform. Atlanta’s defense was tissue-soft last season, so the Falcons need to make sound plays and not get caught out of position against the Steelers. Staying at home on misdirection plays and not biting on play fakes in passing situations are the kinds of things Atlanta’s linebackers and safeties must do on Sunday. Basics, not flashy things, will accomplish the Falcons’ foremost goals and lead to a win. Similarly, on offense, Ryan needs to be a competent game manager and a shrewd quarterback who makes the easy play instead of trying to force passes into tight windows. The Falcons have no need to make this game any more complicated than necessary. 

Football Odds: What The Steelers Have To Do To Win 

Because of their limitations without Roethlisberger, the Steelers need to do a few things. First, they need to run the ball and try to bang at Atlanta’s front four as forcefully as humanly possible. Atlanta’s defensive line got mashed by New England this past preseason, so if Pittsburgh can have success hammering away at the Falcons, the presence of Dennis Dixon won’t be all that much of a hindrance. In fact, since Dixon possesses considerable speed, the way for Pittsburgh to capitalize on a strong running game is to use Dixon on bootlegs, and not to risk long downfield passes. Dixon’s scrambling, not his right arm, needs to become an asset for the Steelers. 

NFL Handicapping: Outlook & Pick 

The Matt Ryan-Dennis Dixon matchup is too lopsided to ignore. Atlanta will load the tackle box and dare Pittsburgh to throw. The Falcons will contain the Steelers on the ground and snuff out the home team’s offense. A 23-13 score feels right for a game that should not be a wide-open affair. 

Football Odds Pick: Falcons -2