The first half of Monday Night Football’s double dip is one of the more intriguing matchups of the Week 1 NFL betting slate. Things just didn’t feel right with Ben Roethlisberger out of commission last season. Good news for Pittsburgh Steelers fans is that No. 7 will be back under center to help put a spark back into an offense that could best be described as abysmal a season ago. A new chapter in New York Giants lore will begin with new head coach Joe Judge and his staff introducing themselves to the betting public. He’s got a very young and talented offense to work with, but will Daniel Jones be up to the task of taking full advantage of it? The betting markets aren’t buying into any type of improvement. At least in Week 1 with the Steelers installed lofty 5.5-point road favorites and the total lined at 46. This will be the franchise’s first showdown since 2016 when Pittsburgh scored the 24-14 home win as near touchdown favorites.
Watch this regular season Week 1 matchup on Monday, September 14, 2020, at 7:15 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium. You can bet on NFL odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
NFL Odds at Bookmaker.eu
Pittsburgh Steelers -5.5
New York Giants +5.5
Over/Under 46
Odds Analysis
Pittsburgh initially hit the board as 3.5-point favorites with the total set at 47. The betting markets look to be of the belief that the Steelers defense rises to the occasion in this one with the total down a full point to 46 even though the GMEN possess one of the more lethal offenses the NFC has to offer. It makes sense considering just how dominant Pittsburgh’s defense was a season ago in ranking No. 5 overall while giving up the fifth fewest points per game (18.9). With that, it comes as no surprise to see the point spread on the rise with Mike Tomlin’s squad bet up to 5.5-point favorites. Some -6 has started to show up as well. Online sportsbooks will without a doubt be cheering the Giants on with nearly 75 percent of the betting handle coming in support of the visitors.
Injury Report
Pittsburgh’s ground attack will be hampered due to the absence of stud guard David DeCastro who has been a fixture within the team’s offensive line for as long as I can remember. Also bothersome is stud second-year wide receiver Diontae Johnson popping up on the injured list on Thursday after suffering a foot injury in practice. The concussion sustained by backup running back Anthony McFarland Jr. doesn’t look like it will force him to miss this game.
With seven players already on IR due to injury and opting out due to COVID-19 concerns, the last think New York needed was for the injury bug to target the roster. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what’s occurred heading into Week 1. WR Golden Tate is listed as questionable with a hamstring injury, but it’s the defensive side of the ball that’s taken the biggest hit. Having already waived DeAndre Baker because he’s an idiot, the stop unit is also dealing with a rash of injuries and illness to the linebacker corps. Markus Golden led the team in sacks last season (10), but is listed as questionable due to an illness. Also nicked up is newcomer Blake Martinez who has been hobbled by a foot injury but is listed as probable. Be sure to revisit the injury reports before kick-off to see what NY looks like on that front. Remember, they were one of only five teams to allow a passer rating of 100+ (No. 28) last season and didn’t do much to improve the secondary save for signing Carolina’s James Bradberry. If forced to play without most of these guys, Big Ben is going to eat this defense for dinner!
Player to Watch
Daniel Jones: Danny Dimes showed glimpses of greatness a short season ago. He also played the part of a rookie being thrown into the fire. Jones ended up throwing for over 3,000 yards and 24 touchdowns through 13 games and 12 starts. He was also picked off 12 times and fumbled a head scratching 18 times! Most of those fumbles occurred due to the Giants possessing one of the worst pass blocking offensive lines in the NFL. The unit conceded a total of 43 sacks in 2019 and it now must run up against a Pittsburgh defense that accumulated more sacks than any other defense a season ago (54). If Jones is to get out of this one alive, he best have his head on a swivel so as to not allow T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward or Bud Dupree to force numerous turnovers. If that’s not enough of a chore, he’s going to have to look to get the ball to his playmakers downfield against the league’s No. 3 ranked pass defense that returns completely intact. It will no doubt be a tough opening game of the season for the second year quarterback, but that’s why he gets paid the big bucks.
Free ATS Pick
As much as I want to think the home team will be competitive in this matchup, it couldn’t have asked for a tougher opponent to kick-off the Joe Judge era. It was a lost season in the Steel City last year, and you know darn well Big Ben and company will be looking to hit the ground running on Monday night. On top of that, the Giants defense is an all-out sieve and it's dealing with a number of injuries/illnesses that puts it even further behind the 8-ball. While James Conner could struggle to get the ground game going with run defense being the lone strength of New York last season (No. 20), I simply can’t envision the Giants having any kind of answer for JuJu Smith-Schuster and the rest of the Steelers pass catchers. Danny Dimes and Saquon Barkley will make it interesting, but in the end, look for the Steelers to get out of town with the win and cover. With the Giants a bankroll bursting 1-10 ATS the last 11 times they were installed home dogs, I have no choice but to lay the road chalk with the black and yellow.
NFL Pick: Steelers 27, Giants 16
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