Giants at Steelers: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com
New York Giants at Pittsburgh Steelers (-2.5, 35.5)
Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said earlier in the week that the starters will "probably play about a quarter", though a few starters will miss out in the preseason opener. Namely, O-linemen James Brewer (concussion) and Chris Snee (undisclosed), as well as FB Henry Hynoski. WR Hakeem Nicks is suffering from a groin strain and is uncertain whether or not he will see the field, though the wideout says he is 100 percent. On the other side of the ball, Justin Tuck claims that the competition at the DE position is "heating up" and competition will be fierce with guys fighting for a limited number of jobs. The Giants finished the 2012 preseason 3-1 ATS, 2-2 SU and 1-3 O/U.
The starting unit for the Pittsburgh Steelers will get 10 to 12 snaps of action in the opener and rookie running back Le'Veon Bell will get a chance to show his stuff with the starters. Bell will play with the second unit as well, however, so that head coach Mike Tomlin can see where the rookie stands. Fellow RB's Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer will also get plenty of opportunity to show their stuff as the trio jockey for position in a heated RB battle. Pittsburgh finished the 2012 preseason with a record of 3-1 SU, 1-2-1 ATS and 3-1 O/U.
The two franchises met in Week 9 last season. The Giants prevailed at home by a score of 24-20 and covered as 3.5-point home dogs.
Giants at Steelers: Preview & Pick
Bovada.lv
This evening, there’s just one preseason game that provides football betting options for the sports handicapping community as the first full weekend of the 2013 National Football League season winds down. Tonight, two recent Super Bowl champions take the field in their respective preseason openers, as the Pittsburgh Steelers host the New York Giants at Heinz Field.
Pittsburgh is just a -3 home favorite, with a total of 35.5, according to the betting line at Bovada. Thus far, the majority of first week contests have gone over the total, but tonight’s clash has the earmarks of a defensive struggle.
The Steelers are looking to get back to the playoffs after missing out last season for the second time under head coach Mike Tomlin. That miss was primarily due to the absence of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who missed a series of second half games, and was ineffective when he did return.
Tom Coughlin’s Giants also missed out on the postseason, after starting out the year with a 6-2 mark. Ironically, the second half tailspin began with a loss at home to the same Steelers they face tonight.
The last time these two teams met in the preseason was in 2010, when Pittsburgh was a -6 road favorite and won 24-17, going over the total of 34.
However, the Under is 7-3 in New York’s last 10 road preseason clashes, including three of the last four. In all but one of those contests, the Giants were the underdog. Also, the last six times New York has traveled to face a team from the American Football Conference, the Under has cashed four times.
Since Tomlin took over for Bill Cowher after the 2006 season, the first game of the Steelers’ preseason has been a money-maker in five of the six seasons. In addition, the Under is 6-3-1 when Pittsburgh has played at Heinz Field during the month of August since 2008.
Combining those two categories shows that the three times since ’08 when Pittsburgh has begun its preseason before the friendly faces in the Steel City, Tomlin’s crew has stayed Under the total each time.
Roethlisberger figures to play only the first quarter, if that, so his absence from the lineup for the remainder of the game may also help shine a window on how the game will turn out. Last season’s injury short-circuited the team’s offense, and since that time, it has lost a key wideout in Mike Wallace. Also, the team is likely to feature second round running back Le’Veon Bell.
The Giants are also likely to have Eli Manning and Co. making cameo appearances, so a lack of points should be the expected result. That’s one reason why we confidently say this free NFL pick is to
Play Pittsburgh-New York Giants Over 35.5
Notebook - Steelers vs. Giants
VegasInsider.com
Giants at Steelers
2012 Preseason Records
Pittsburgh (3-1 SU, 1-2-1 ATS)
New York (2-2 SU, 3-1 ATS)
2012 Preseason Totals
Pittsburgh (Over 3-1)
New York (Under 3-1)
Last Meeting: The Steelers beat the Giants 24-20 on Nov. 4 as 3 ½-point road underdogs in the regular season last year.
Expected QB Rotations
Pittsburgh: Ben Roethlisberger, Bruce Gradkowski, John Parker Wilson, Landry Jones (Rookie - Oklahoma)
New York: Eli Manning, David Carr, Ryan Nassib (Rookie - Syracuse), Curtis Painter
Handicapping Notes
Pittsburgh
VegasInsider.com expert Tony Stoffo believes the Steelers could be an ‘over’ look this August. He explained, “In Part I of my Preseason Report, I talked about how the new CBA preseason rules would affect the physical teams in the league, and the Steelers definitely fit into this mold. The change in style was apparent in last year’s preseason as the usually lower-scoring Pittsburgh games – showed a complete turnaround as the Steelers played three high-scoring games and ended the preseason seeing the over go 3-1. With the oddsmakers still leaning towards the old trends for the Steelers will give us some solid value plays on the over this preseason.”
New York
Handicapping analysts at ASA don’t expect much “pop” from the Giants’ offense in August based on recent trends. They said, “The Giants have seen the ‘under’ go 8-2 in their last 10 preseason games. The Giants have never been big on showing a lot of their starting offense in the preseason. QB Eli Manning won't see a ton of action and coaches will want to keep their wide receivers healthy. Expect more low-scoring games as they try to get their swagger back on defense as well.”
Coaching Angles
Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin has gone 11-1 SU at home in 12 preseason games with the Steelers
Betcha Didn’t Know
VI handicapper Marc Lawrence stated, “The Giants 12-6 against the spread the last 18 games as a preseason underdog against the AFC, including 4-0 the last four matchups”