Free Pick: Pitt/Cin
AFC North Division rivals square off Thursday night in Pittsburgh when the Steelers host the Cincinnati Bengals. The Steelers continue to fight for the AFC North crown.
Oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made the Steelers an -11 point spread favorite. The over/under for this game has been set at 34.5 total points.
The 11 points might scare some off, but they shouldn’t – the Steelers are a clear-cut favorite in this game and should steamroll the Bungles. Pittsburgh is 21-12 against the spread vs. Cincinnati since 1992 and 4-1 against the spread vs. the Bengals over the last three seasons. The Steelers are also 25-9 straight up against the Bengals since 1992.
Pittsburgh also dominates in every statistical advantage between these two teams. The Steelers average more points per game (20.9 to 13.8) and allow less points (15.0 to 24.9) on average. They also average more passing yards (201.3 to 159.4) and more rushing yards (99.5 to 83.2) per game. Defensivly the Steelers are better too, averaging 169.2 passing yards allowed to 207.3 for the Bengals, and 68.9 yards on the ground to Cincy’s whopping 131.1.
The Bengals hung tough with the Eagles last week, but it helped that Donovan McNabb turned the ball over four times, including three times in Cincinnati territory. Ben Roethlisberger may make a mistake from time to time, but he’s also playing better now that he’s healthy again. Even if Pittsburgh’s offense is off the mark tonight, the defense won’t be. And nobody scores against the Steeler defense at Heinz Field.
Our Free NFL Pick for the Week 12 matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers game is
Pittsburgh Steelers -11
TheSpread.com Projected Final Score
Pittsburgh Steelers 20
Cincinnati Bengals 7
We also predict that this game will GO UNDER THE TOTAL (34.5 Sportsbook.com) SET BY ODDSMAKERS
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Posted: 11/20/08 12:00 PM ET
