The Pittsburgh Steelers got a wake-up call a few weeks back when they were humbled by the Eagles. The Black and Gold has responded by whipping its past two opponents and looks to be back on the Super Bowl path many predicted they would take. With a home game against New England and a bye following this one, it’s possible the Steelers could overlook the Miami Dolphins, but even that might not make a difference in the Week 6 matchup.
Kickoff for this regular season Week 6 game is set for Sunday, October 16, 2016, at 1 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Pittsburgh Steelers -8
Miami Dolphins +8
Over/Under 47.5
Odds Analysis
Early money on the Steelers already pushed the spread a half point to Pittsburgh -8, and given the state of the Dolphins it wouldn’t surprise me to see the line spike even higher. One concern for the visitors is a date with New England following this one. It would be easy to overlook the Dolphins with Tom Brady on the horizon, but I don’t think Mike Tomlin will allow that to happen.
Injury Report
Cameron Heyward – The Steelers’ defensive end could be out a few weeks with a hamstring injury sustained Sunday. Heyward has been a stalwart on the line and a leader of the defense. He’s especially solid against the run and his absence could allow the Dolphins to run to his side of the line.
Laremy Tunsil – Hurt his ankle in a freak shower accident and missed the last Dolphins game. His absence was a severe blow to the offensive line, which has been without starting tackle Branden Albert for the past two games. The Dolphins allowed six sacks and plenty of pressure without their top two linemen.
Player to Watch
When he was the offensive coordinator in Chicago last season, Adam Gase worked wonders with Jay Cutler, prompting the enigmatic signal-caller into his best season statistically since he became a Bear. The hope was that Gase could do the same with Ryan Tannehill after becoming the Dolphins head coach. Well, that hasn’t worked out so far, but Gase is standing by his man and showing confidence in the beleaguered quarterback while many fans in South Florida are calling for his removal.
There’s no doubt about the talent in Tannehill’s right arm, he just hasn’t been able to put it all together in his five seasons. This was thought to be the year with Gase taking over after Joe Philbin and Dan Campbell failed to extract a winning season from Tannehill. The Dolphins’ offense struggled again Sunday with Tannehill completing just 12 passes for 191 yards and he tossed two more interceptions. He’s been susceptible to the giveaway this season with seven total picks and four fumbles and the Dolphins rank 24th in passing and 29th in total offense. Gase has given Tannehill a vote of confidence, but the Dolphins really don’t have a backup plan. It’s up to Tannehill to get the offense moving.
Free ATS Pick
The Steelers might have the most potent offense in football and that isn’t pretty for the Dolphins. Pittsburgh wrecked the Jets last week with the usual suspects. Ben Roethlisberger was his supreme self, Le’Veon Bell was magical out of the backfield and Sammie Coates was a monster in the passing game. Wait, Sammie Coates? That should’ve been a line for Antonio Brown, but it just shows how many weapons Big Ben has.
With the Dolphins secondary always in flux and a defensive line that failed to disrupt Marcus Mariota last week, this could be a field day for the Steelers. It’s been hard to pinpoint any one area where the Fins have been good this season and they got really lucky to beat a bad Cleveland team. Laying eight points is hefty, but the Steelers are poised to beat the spread against a Dolphins team that has no identity.
NFL Odds: Steelers 30, Dolphins 18
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