The Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers meet in a short week for both sides after Week 1’s Monday Night Football doubleheader.
Pittsburgh grabbed a 26-16 road win over the New York Giants as 6-point chalk in the return of star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the early Monday game. Denver lost a close 16-14 game to the Tennessee Titans at home – just the third home opener loss for this franchise since 2000 – but covered as 3-point underdogs in the late matchup.
These are our NFL free picks and predictions for Broncos vs. Steelers on September 20.
Denver Broncos vs Pittsburgh Steelers betting preview
Weather
The extended forecast calls for sunny skies and temperatures in the high-60s with winds blowing up to 10 mph at Heinz Field. Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NFL weather info.
Key Injuries
Broncos: Mark Barron LB (Out), Phillip Lindsay RB (Out), A.J. Bouye CB (Out), Von Miller LB (Out)
Steelers: Zach Banner T (Out), David DeCastro G (Out), Stefen Wisniewski G (Out)
Find our latest NFL injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Under is 19-7 in the Steelers’ last 26 games overall. Find more NFL betting trends for Broncos vs. Steelers.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
The short week doesn’t help the Broncos, who come to the Steel City licking their wounds on both sides of the ball. Denver was already without star linebacker Von Miller and could now be missing standout corner A.J. Bouye, who left Monday’s game with a shoulder injury.
Those holes are extra costly against a team like the Steelers: Pittsburgh is a dangerous offense with Roethlisberger healthy and any soft spot in the secondary will be exploited by this savvy gunslinger. Big Ben was 21-for-31 for 229 yards and three touchdowns against New York in what felt like a preseason game for Pittsburgh, as it ironed out the wrinkles in a ho-hum victory.
The Steelers will be much more polished in Week 2, with a balanced attack. Pittsburgh’s ground game stacked 141 yards on 30 carries against the Giants and take on a tender Broncos defense that just had Derrick Henry bowl them over for 116 yards.
The lookahead line for this game set in the spring was Pittsburgh -5. However, the true opener hit the board as low as Steelers -6.5 Tuesday morning and has been bet up to -7.5 with 67 percent of early bets on the home side.
PREDICTION: Pittsburgh -7.5 (-110)
Over/Under pick
The Broncos offense was respectable in Week 1 with QB Drew Lock winning over doubters with his steady play. Denver’s new starter finished 22-for-33 passing for 216 yards and one touchdown against a very good Titans defense, but the offense did suffer its share of miscues in the final minutes.
The Steelers will continue to lean on the run to anchor the offense and give the defense some support in terms of TOP (time of possession). On the other side of the ball, Pittsburgh’s stop unit bottled up New York lightning bolt Saquon Barkley for a mere six yards on the ground on Monday night and can pull the plug on the Broncos’ rushing game, forcing the Denver offense to live and die by Lock’s untested arm.
Injuries are also piling up for the Broncos offense, which was without WRs Courtland Sutton and K.J. Hamler for Monday and will miss RB Phillip Lindsay in Week 2 after he left with turf toe versus Tennessee. Rookie WR Jerry Jeudy has promise, but looked very green with bad drops in Week 1.
PREDICTION: Under 41.5 (-110)
First quarter prop
It’s a short week and a long cross-country trip for the bruised-up Broncos, who will also have to deal with an early 1 p.m. ET kickoff call (11 a.m. MT) on Sunday (and a slew of COVID-19 protocols when they arrive in Pittsburgh on Saturday).
That all comes before facing one of the most physical defenses in the NFL, and one that doesn’t allow opponents to get rolling early on. The Steelers checked the Giants to a field goal in the opening frame Monday night and allowed just 4.2 points per first quarter during the 2019 schedule.
Roethlisberger and this offense will look to establish the run in the opening 15 minutes, investing that grinding attack for the hopes of second-half returns. Denver’s defense has also been extra stingy in the opening quarter, holding Tennessee off the board in the first 15 minutes Monday and averaging only 2.4 1Q points against in 2019.
PREDICTION: First quarter Under 7.5 (-125)
Broncos vs Steelers betting card
- Pittsburgh -7.5 (-110)
- Under 41.5 (-110)
- First quarter Under 7.5 (-125)
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