Ben Roethlisberger (7) of the Pittsburgh Steelers in action against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 14, 2020, in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Steelers Return from Early Bye to Host Eagles as Home Favorites in Week 5

The Pittsburgh Steelers will be back in action Sunday following an early bye week when they host the Philadelphia Eagles as solid home favorites in an all-Pennsylvania matchup. The Steelers, whose game last week against Tennessee was postponed after 20 members of the Titans organization tested positive for COVID-19, will be looking to remain unbeaten while the Eagles are coming off their first victory of the year.

Philadelphia Eagles vs Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Date/Time: October 11, 1 p.m. ET
  • Stadium: Heinz Field
  • TV Coverage: Fox
  • Sportsbook Odds: Steelers -7 | O/U 47.5 (Line History)
  • Eagles vs Steelers Matchup Report

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

Pittsburgh has scored 26 points or more in each of the team’s first three games, and Philadelphia has allowed at least 20 points in all four so far. Based on those numbers, you would think the OVER would be getting some early action. Instead, the point spread has remained the same, and the total has dropped 3.5 points to 44, perhaps because there are some strong UNDER trends in this matchup.

Philadelphia News & Notes

The Eagles finally picked up their first win, and some weight has to be lifted from the shoulders of starting quarterback Carson Wentz.

Philadelphia upset the San Francisco 49ers 25-20 as an 8.5-point road underdog on Sunday Night Football, and bettors were left wondering whether this team is now living up to preseason expectations or simply caught its opponent in a tough spot.

The Eagles did not play a perfect game by any means, but it was promising to see Wentz come through by scoring the first touchdown on an 11-yard run and then pass to tight end Zach Ertz for a successful two-point conversion attempt to give them an early 8-0 lead. That aggressive play-calling was Doug Pederson at his best and could be the key to this game as well.

Pittsburgh News & Notes

A little time off should not hurt the Steelers at all, although it would not be surprising if they were a bit rusty offensively. They will probably miss having their bye week later in the season, but they were able to take advantage of the early time off to get healthier.

Offensively, Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger should have a full arsenal of weapons at his disposal with wide receiver Diontae Johnson out of concussion protocol and ready to contribute opposite JuJu Smith-Schuster and rookie Chase Claypool. The Steelers will be legitimate contenders in the AFC as long as they can stay healthy and keep Roethlisberger upright.

The main concern from a betting perspective is whether a touchdown is too much to cover considering they have won one game by more than seven points, and that was the season opener, which seems like forever ago.

Betting Pick: OVER 44

The betting trends may point to a lower-scoring game between these two teams from the Keystone State. But fading that big line move will be beneficial in this spot because the total is now too low. Keep in mind, the OVER is 5-1 in Philadelphia’s last six road games, averaging nearly 53 points. And the lone UNDER during that stretch came last week at San Francisco and still resulted in 45 points. There will be even more points in this one.

Shark Bites
  • The Eagles are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games.
  • The UNDER is 8-3 in Pittsburgh’s last 11 games.
  • The OVER is 5-1 in Philadelphia’s last 6 road games.
PHI is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.away The UNDER is 8-3 in PIT’s last 11 games.home The OVER is 5-1 in PHI’s last 6 road games.away
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