Breaking down early Steelers point spreads

The NFL released the 2020 schedule and the Pittsburgh Steelers welcome back Ben Roethlisberger when they open the season at the Giants. The Steelers are currently +350 to win the AFC North, sitting well behind the Ravens, who are sizable -200 favorites. Pittsburgh’s preseason win total is installed at 8.5 with -125 odds on the over and +103 odds on the under.

DraftKings Sportsbook posted all the Week 1 point spreads the evening of the schedule release, and they have since added nearly 100 additional games throughout the season. DK does big business in New Jersey and Colorado, so it is no surprise they have all 16 lines for the Giants, Jets, Eagles, and Broncos. However, they have multiple lines for other teams as well. For the Steelers, they’ve unveiled all but their Week 17 line.

Point spreads

Week 1: @ Giants (-4)
Week 2: vs. Broncos (-4.5)
Week 3: vs. Texans (-4.5)
Week 4: @ Titans (+3)
Week 5: vs. Eagles (-1.5)
Week 6: vs. Browns (-3.5)
Week 7: @ Ravens (+6)
Week 9: @ Cowboys (+3.5)
Week 10: vs. Bengals (-7.5)
Week 11: @ Jaguars (-4.5)
Week 12: vs. Ravens (+2.5)
Week 13: vs. Washington (-8.5)
Week 14: @ Bills (+2.5)
Week 15: @ Bengals (-3.5)
Week 16: vs. Colts (-2.5)

Most likely cover

The Steelers will no doubt be a much better offense with Ben Roethlisberger back under center and their defense proved last season they are a top unit. Everything would seem to be looking up for the Steelers this season, even with just an average season from Roethlisberger, they should step back up into an above average team. An above average Steelers team shouldn’t have much trouble against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who might not be tanking quite like Miami looked like last season, but they should be near the bottom of the pile this year and the Steelers are just 4.5-point favorites on the road in Week 11.

Most likely fail to cover

The Cowboys have one of the strongest offenses in the league, but haven’t been able to put things together enough to get wins from that offensive output. Now with a new coach and what I consider to be the best wide receiver in the draft replacing Randall Cobb in the slot, going into Dallas is going to be a tough place to play this season. Getting 3.5 points might not be enough for the Steelers in this matchup on the road.

Line most likely to change

The Bengals likely need a year under Joe Burrow to become a real force to reckon with while the Steelers have always played well in Cincinnati. In Week 15, they’ll head into Cincinnati as just 3.5-point favorites, but this line is more likely to go up as the Steelers show they are still a team to be reckoned with.

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