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The quarterback situation will be one to watch closely as the Bears get set to host the Pittsburgh Steelers in a Week 3 matchup. Pittsburgh started the season slowly with a close win over the Cleveland Browns but flexed its muscle against the Vikings last time out.
The Steelers are playing on the road in this one, which is never easy, but are still heavy favorites to take care of business.
Kickoff for this regular season Week 3 game is set for Sunday, September 24, 2017, at 1 p.m. ET at Soldier Field.
Opening NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Steelers -7
Bears +7
Over/Under 46
Odds Analysis
Pittsburgh is a touchdown favorite despite being away from home. The bettors watched Chicago lay an egg last time out and thus the Steelers are getting nearly 75 percent of the early money to cover this spread. Pittsburgh is also coming off of an easy cover, so it’s easy to see why there is momentum heading its way. However, one week is not the only thing that should be considered. The location of this matchup could have a big effect on the margin of victory.
The scoring total is one of the higher ones of the week as the Steelers could be in for a big game. However, the “under” is the most popular pick as Chicago may not score enough for the “over” to hit.
Injury Report
Jordan Howard – The Bears running back injured his shoulder and left Sunday after the game against Tampa Bay in a sling. Howard has been dealing with a shoulder issue since the start of the season. The 22-year-old was a huge part of the Bears offense last year as a rookie, amassing 1,313 yards but had just nine carries for just seven yards in Chicago’s loss to Tampa Bay in Week 2. The Bears have an electric rookie in Tarik Cohen behind him, so it’s not the end of the world if Howard can’t play in this one. It would be nice to split the carries between them, but more work for Cohen would be a good thing.
T.J. Watt -- The Steelers’ first-round pick had a great debut, but injured his groin in the second quarter against the Vikings. He didn’t return to the game and his status for Week 3 is unknown. Keep an eye on this as Watt has quickly become a key piece on defense despite being in his first year.
Player To Watch
Martavis Bryant -- The Steelers already have one of the most dynamic wide receivers in the NFL in Antonio Brown and one of the best running backs in Le’Veon Bell. With the return of Bryant off suspension, the offense becomes that much more explosive.
After a quiet opening week, he was fantastic against the Vikings, catching three passes for 91 yards and a touchdown. Bryant is a big-play guy and could be in line for a huge outing against a suspect Bears defense. Brown draws a lot of attention because of his excellence, and any time Bryant has a good matchup he tends to exploit it. He could very well score again in this game.
Free ATS Pick
The Steelers are the much better team, but this spread is too high. The Bears are at home, where they should play better, and Glennon won’t be this bad again. Expect Chicago to hang around for most of the game. The Steelers should be able to finally wrest away control late, but the Bears will get a late score for the backdoor cover.
The “under” is the right play as Chicago’s defense won’t get completely dominated in this one despite the Steelers’ talented group of skill players.
NFL Odds: Steelers 27, Bears 22
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