Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Chicago Bears Preview
Where: Soldier Field – Chicago, IL
When: Sunday, September 24, 2017, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Pittsburgh Steelers (-320) at Chicago Bears (+260); total: 44.0 – view all 2017 NFL lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
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Betting on the Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0)
The Pittsburgh Steelers comfortably dispatched of the Sam Bradford-less Minnesota Vikings, 26-9, to improve to 2-0 on the season. They are also now 1-1 ATS after covering as nine-point favorites.
Despite being 2-0, the Steelers offense has yet to truly hit full gear. While star running back Le’Veon Bell was able to improve upon his meager 32 rushing yards against the Browns with 87 against the Vikings, he’s still far from his best.
Antonio Brown had a relatively quiet night with five catches and 62 yards, but deep threat Martavis Bryant picked up the slack with 91 yards on three catches, including a 51-yard score.
Bell, Brown, and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger are yet to go off for a big game at the same time this season, but they all clearly have another level they can reach.
The Steelers defense has been solid, although it has yet to face a true above-average NFL offense or even an above-average quarterback. Luckily for them, the Bears don’t have either of those things as well.
Even if the Steelers merely maintain the fairy middling form over the first two games, they should be able to find a way past the struggling Bears.
Betting on the Chicago Bears (0-2)
The Mike Glennon that looked so competent against the Atlanta Falcons was nowhere to be found upon his reunion with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Glennon struggled against his former team, going 31-of-45 for 301 yards with a touchdown and three turnovers (two interceptions, one lost fumble) as the Bears were battered, 29-7.
Glennon wasn’t aided by a nonexistent running game. Lead rusher Jordan Howard, who entered the game with a shoulder injury, was completely ineffective as he finished with just seven yards on nine carries. Between him and rookie Tarik Cohen, Chicago had a pitiful 20 yards on 16 carries on the ground.
Given how bad Howard looked playing with his injury, it’s unlikely that he will be risked further against the Steelers. Meanwhile, head coach John Fox has stated that he is not planning on turning to rookie Mitch Trubisky to replace Glennon after one bad outing.
There don’t seem to be any easy answers to fix the Bears offense. The defense also doesn’t figure to get much better, especially with the loss of key linebacker Jerrell Freeman due to a torn pectoral muscle. With so many issues on both sides of the ball, it’ll take a monster effort for the Bears to stay within striking distance of the Steelers, even at home.
Writer’s Prediction
The Steelers (-320) run away from the Bears on the road, 31-10.
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