A gutsy call by coach Mike Tomlin and a determined run by Le’Veon Bell may have saved the Steelers season. Bell’s one-yard touchdown run with no time left propelled Pittsburgh to a Monday night win. The Steelers begin a stretch of four of five games at Heinz Field, beginning Sunday with the sizzling Arizona Cardinals. The Cards offense has been ridiculous this year, which has caused the over to go a perfect 5-0.
ODDS
Arizona opened as a 3-point favorite with the total at 44.5. The Cardinals won at Detroit last week to improve to 3-0 both SU and ATS on the road. The spread and total have yet to move early in the week.
KEY INJURIES
Alex Okafor – Suffered a right calf injury early in the fourth quarter against Detroit and did not return. He’s been plagued by injuries throughout his three-year career and is scheduled to have an MRI to determine the extent of the injury. Kareem Martin and Shaq Riddick will compete for time at his linebacker spot. The Cards also signed Dwight Freeney as an insurance policy.
Will Allen – Pittsburgh’s starting safety hurt his left ankle in the first half of Monday night’s game and didn’t return. He’s listed as questionable for Sunday. Shamarko Thomas is next up on the depth chart and could see more action if Allen can’t go.
KEY MISMATCH
If Le’Veon Bell had been stuffed at the goal line, coach Mike Tomlin would be catching heat today. His call to run Bell out of the Wildcat from the one-yard line with five seconds left and a timeout in his pocket was that bold. The move paid off when Bell squirted through the line and scored the game winning-touchdown with zeroes on the clock for a 24-20 win over San Diego on Monday night. The Steelers were willing to live with the consequences and the faith paid off. The players loved the urgency attached to the call, and they gladly rewarded him. And now the play has effectively injected a boost into the Steelers locker room. Tomlin had no doubt what was called for. Facing a potential 2-3 start his team had to “go to the mattresses,” he said, using a mafia phrase for going to war with a rival family. “We had an opportunity to win the game, on the road, hostile environment. We have to play to win.”
KEY STAT
+6 – Arizona’s turnover margin. The Cardinals lead the NFL with 11 interceptions and have the second-most takeaways with 13. They forced six Detroit turnovers last week. Pittsburgh has turned the ball over just three times this season.
BETTING ANGLE
After last week’s win over Detroit, the Cardinals boarded their team buses like usual to head to the airport for their chartered flight. Only this time, it wasn’t headed back to Phoenix. The Cardinals will spend the week at a resort in West Virginia, where they will both stay and practice leading up to Sunday’s game at Pittsburgh. A major reason why the team isn’t going home is to keep the players’ bodies in the Eastern Time zone instead of forcing them to adjust to another three-hour time change. There are also other health reasons, according to coach Bruce Arians. He doesn’t want his banged up players to have to endure another cross country flight. “It’s really hard on their bodies,” Arians said of the long flights so close together. The Ravens tried a similar tactic at the start of the year with a game in Denver followed by a visit to Oakland. Baltimore spent the week between games in the Bay Area, but ended up losing the second contest to the Raiders.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Arizona has proved to be an elite offensive team this season, scoring 42 points or more in three of the past four games and averaging 38 per game overall. Two of those games came on the road against Chicago and Detroit, two teams with solid defenses that simply couldn’t keep up with the Cards on the scoreboard. Pittsburgh is nowhere near the same offensive club without Ben Roethlisberger, and although there’s talk he might return this week, it’s highly doubtful. While Michael Vick can make the occasional big play, he doesn’t have the same ability to throw the ball downfield consistently. Arizona has too many weapons on offense with a suddenly potent running game and Carson Palmer at quarterback. The Cards are a nightmare to defend and the Steelers will have more trouble stopping them than they did San Diego. Pittsburgh is tough at home and will pose a formidable challenge to the Cards.
Arizona 31, Pittsburgh 27
BookMaker sent out the NFL lines for this Sunday game at Arizona -3 with a total of 44.5. Gamble on the game between every commercial break with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen on the next play or how many points will be scored in the next quarter. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone or tablet with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! The matchup between the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers will kick off Sunday, October 18, 2015, at 1 p.m. ET at Heinz Field. The contest will be broadcast regionally on FOX.
