CHICAGO (2 - 0) at PITTSBURGH (0 - 2) - 9/22/2013, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 19-8 ATS (+10.2 Units) in home games off a loss against a division rival since 1992.
PITTSBURGH is 8-18 ATS (-11.8 Units) in games played on a grass field over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.
CHICAGO vs. PITTSBURGH
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Chicago's last 7 games on the road
Chicago is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 1-4-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Pittsburgh is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games
Chicago at Pittsburgh
Chicago: 18-33 ATS after scoring 30+ points
Pittsburgh: 19-8 ATS at home off a division loss
NFL Week 3
Bears (2-0) @ Steelers (0-2) — Not sure what to make of Chicago after winning first two home games by total of four points; they won last week 31-30, despite giving up TDs on both offense/special teams. Since ’08, Bears are 9-4-1 as road favorites; they’re 6-4-3 vs AFC teams; 1-5-1 in last seven games where spread was three or less points. Short week for Pitt after Monday night loss in Cincy; in first two games they’ve run ball 31 times for only 76 yards, converted 7 of 25 on third down, been outsacked 7-1. Over last decade, Steelers are 5-0 vs spread as home dogs, covering one game as home dog in each of last three years, but this is also first Tomlin team to be two games under .500 at any point of season. Pitt won three of last four series meetings, with average total in last three, 30.0; Bears are 1-6-1 in last eight visits here, with only win in ’89. Chicago is 2-4 in last six road openers, with eight of their last nine AOs staying under the total.
Armadillosports.com
Bears at Steelers: What Bettors Need to Know
Covers.com
Chicago Bears at Pittsburgh Steelers (+1, 40.5)
After two straight home victories, the Chicago Bears look to remain undefeated as they take to the road to face the struggling Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night. Chicago is fortunate to enter Week 3 as one of the league's eight remaining unbeaten teams, as it defeated the Cincinnati Bengals and Minnesota Vikings by a combined four points. The Bears haven't begun a season with three consecutive victories since 2010, when they went on to play in the NFC championship game.
Pittsburgh, meanwhile, is attempting to avoid its first 0-3 start since 2000. The Steelers have been ineffective offensively, rushing for only 75 yards while scoring a total of 19 points over their first two contests. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has yet to take charge of a game, completing only 58.6 percent of his passes and throwing two touchdowns and two interceptions while being sacked seven times.
LINE: The Steelers opened +1. The total opened at 39.5 and is currently 40.5.
WEATHER: Temperatures will be in the mid-50s with partly cloudy skies.
ABOUT THE BEARS (2-0): Chicago is 20-7-1 in the all-time series, which includes a franchise-record 13-game winning streak from 1934-49. Devin Hester has shown no signs of slowing down, as he registered a team-record 249 yards on kick returns in Sunday's triumph over Minnesota. Running back Matt Forte is one of two players in the NFL with over 5,000 yards rushing and 2,000 receiving since joining the league in 2008.
ABOUT THE STEELERS (0-2): Injuries have played a large role in Pittsburgh's struggles, with running back Le'Veon Bell (foot) and tight end Heath Miller (knee) missing each of the first two games and center Maurkice Pouncey (knee), running back LaRod Stephens-Howling (knee) and linebacker Larry Foote (bicep) suffering season-ending injuries in the opener. The Steelers have won five of their last six home meetings with the Bears dating back to 1967. Wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery is two receptions shy of 400 for his career.
TRENDS:
* Bears are 0-4 ATS in their last four games following a S.U. win.
* Steelers are 1-4-1 ATS in their last six home games.
* Over is 4-0 in Bears last four games overall.
* Under is 14-3 in Steelers last 17 home games.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Only Jacksonville (11) and Cleveland (16) have scored fewer points than Pittsburgh.
2. The Bears snapped their three-game losing streak against the Steelers in their last meeting, posting a 17-14 triumph at home on Sept. 20, 2009.
3. Chicago QB Jay Cutler has been sacked just once thus far after hitting the ground nine times over the first two games last season.
Sunday's NFL Action
By Sportsbook.ag
CHICAGO BEARS (2-0) at PITTSBURGH STEELERS (0-2
Sportsbook.ag Line & Total: Chicago -2.5 & 40
Opening Line & Total: Bears -2.5 & 40
The start of the year has been very different for these two clubs. Chicago won its first two games behind some late-game heroics from QB Jay Cutler, while Pittsburgh's offense has looked sloppy, producing a total of 19 points in losses to Tennessee and Cincinnati. The last time these two teams met was in 2009 when the Bears hosted the Steelers in what ended in a 17-14 win-and-cover in favor of Chicago. Cutler threw for 236 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in that win over the Steelers. Cutler takes way more chances now that WR Brandon Marshall is in town. Marshall’s presence is a complete game changer that really opens up Chicago’s offense for RB Matt Forte to run. Over the past three seasons, Pittsburgh is just 8-18 ATS (31%) when playing on a grass field, but is 19-8 ATS (70%) in home games after losing to a division rival since 1992. The Steelers have won their past two home games against Chicago.
Last week, Cutler threw a touchdown pass to Martellus Bennett in the front left corner of the end zone to put Chicago up one with just 10 seconds to go in the game. It was the second come-from-behind victory for the Bears, who topped the Bengals after being down 10 points in the third quarter. So far this season, Cutler has been on fire under a new Marc Trestman-led coaching staff, completing 68% of his passes for 534 yards and five touchdowns. Cutler has also thrown three interceptions, but he has been great when the Bears need him most. WR Brandon Marshall has been Cutler’s go-to receiver, much like he has been in recent years, with 15 receptions for 217 yards and 2 TD this season. Cutler has also established a liking for TE Martellus Bennett, who played for the Giants last season. So far this year, Bennett has 10 receptions for 125 yards and three scores, but he's listed as questionable because of a shoulder injury. Chicago’s defense has struggled so far this season as they have allowed 51 points and 690 yards in two games, but they did get an interception return for a touchdown from Charles Tillman against the Vikings last week, one of six takeaways for Chicago in two games.
Pittsburgh has now lost its past two games, and in the process the offense has looked ugly. The Steelers didn’t get on the board against the Titans in their opener until there was 1:23 remaining in the game, which made it a meaningless score. Against the Bengals last Monday, the Steelers were tied 10-10 at half but could not put any points on the board in the third and fourth quarters. So far this season, QB Ben Roethlisberger hasn’t looked like himself as he has thrown for 442 yards (6.3 YPA), 2 TD and 2 INT while completing a pedestrian 58.6% of his passes (7th-worst in NFL). With RB Le’Veon Bell still out with a foot injury, the Steelers have completely lacked any resemblance of a running game. Felix Jones is the team’s leading rusher this season with just 37 yards on 10 carries. No player on Pittsburgh has had a carry of at least 15 yards on the season. One positive for the Steelers has been the play of CB Ike Taylor on the defensive side of the ball. Last game, Taylor was able to hold Bengals star wideout A.J. Green to just six catches for 41 yards after his dominant opening week performance in which he had 162 yards and two touchdowns. Pittsburgh has done a tremendous job stopping the run (2.7 YPC allowed), and has allowed just 229 total YPG this year despite not forcing a single turnover yet.