The sports betting world was not surprised at the results of the Tennessee Titans and Oakland Raiders game. The Raiders raised their hopes this season when the team acquired quarterback Jason Campbell, but the Oakland forgot to upgrade their offensive line to accommodate their new quarterback. As a result, Campbell was injured in the preseason and pummeled by the Tennessee defense in the season opener.
The Pittsburgh Steelers new starting quarterback Dennis Dixon has not seen sustained game activity since he was affecting college football betting results three years ago. In his first ever NFL start last week against the Atlanta Falcons, Dixon was efficient but not too awfully impressive. Pittsburgh running back Rashard Mendenhall was impressive against the Falcons. Mendenhall has 120 yards rushing which included his 50-yard game winning touchdown run in overtime.
The Tennessee opener against the Raiders can be deceiving. The Raiders not only have a terrible offensive line, but running back Michael Bush was injured which placed the entire game on quarterback Jason Campbell’s already injured shoulders. A defense like the one in Tennessee would have no problem handling a wounded and inept offense.
The Tennessee offense showed that it is something to be reckoned with. Quarterback Vince Young look poised and in control on his way to 154 passing yards and two touchdowns. Young did not need to put the ball in the air much because Chris Johnson had 142 yards on the ground and two touchdowns of his own. Even backup running back Javon Ringer had a touchdown on the ground.
The NFL betting experts were wondering how the Steelers would respond to not having starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the line-up for the first four games of the season. In the weeks since Big Ben’s suspension, Pittsburgh players are starting to speak out about their disappointment in Ben’s decisions. Roethlisberger was not voted a team captain, and he was not nominated to be one when he returns from his suspension. The locker room is not on his side. If Dixon keeps winning, who knows what that could mean.
In this game the football betting line has the Titans as a five and one-half point favorite. The Steelers defense just shut down a very good offense in Atlanta. The combination of quarterback Matt Ryan and receiver Roddy White is a normally potent combination. The pass rush of the Steelers was able to pressure Ryan into making mistakes all day long. But Ryan is a pocket passer with no mobility in his game. Vince Young is a different kind of quarterback, and that could be a problem for the Steelers.
Very few people expected a deficient Steelers team to be able to beat a strong NFC contender like the Falcons. It was an interesting statement made by the Steelers defense in this first game of the season. The Steelers offense was conspicuous by its lack of a statement in the game against Atlanta.
Pick: Tennessee Titans 21-10
