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The Pittsburgh Steelers did not meet the franchise’s yearly high expectations in 2020 as they struggled down the stretch of the regular season and were beaten handily by the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. The Steelers will continue on with Ben Roethlisberger tossing the pigskin around another season, and oddsmakers suggest they will be a fringe playoff team.
We’ll take a look at the latest DraftKings Sportsbook lines and predict if the Steelers can beat their 2021 win total. The odds below are as of June 1, 2021.
AFC North win totals
Baltimore Ravens 10.5 (Over -155, Under +127)
Cleveland Browns 10.5 (Over +100, Under -121)
Pittsburgh Steelers 8.5 (Over -110, Under -110)
Cincinnati Bengals 6.5 (Over +118, Under -143)
Notable offseason moves
Pittsburgh re-signed wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster to a one-year deal this offseason. Additionally, the Steelers went offense with their first three draft picks including running back Najee Harris, tight end Pat Freiermuth and guard Kendrick Green.
Some notable players no longer with the team include running back James Conner, center Maurkise Pouncey, linebacker Bud Dupree, offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva and others.
Pittsburgh Steelers prediction: UNDER 8.5
The Steelers were a mess to end the 2020 season as they lost five of their last six games to finish the year including the playoff loss. Pittsburgh started 12-0, but it’s unlikely they will get anywhere close to that start next year. Roethlisberger showed his age late in 2020, and there’s reason to believe his NFL career could be coming to an end soon as he is now more of a dink and dunk passer in a league that features explosive offenses.
Plenty of this has to do with the improvement of the top two contenders in the AFC North with the Baltimore Ravens and especially the Cleveland Browns, which the Steelers almost never had to worry about for years. The Cincinnati Bengals could also see a significant improvement if Joe Burrow can stay healthy. The rest of the teams in the division are improving, while the Steelers do not have a ton of excitement looking ahead to 2021.
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