Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0 SU, 1-1 ATS) vs. Chicago Bears (0-2 SU, 1-1 ATS)
Week 3 NFL
Date/Time: Sunday, September 24, 2017 at 1PM EST
Where: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
TV: CBS
By Loot, NFL Football Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
Point Spread: PIT -7.5/CHI +7.5
Over/Under Total: 45.5
The Pittsburgh Steelers face the Chicago Bears in week three action from Soldier Field on Sunday. Chicago lost its second straight game to open the season on Sunday with a lopsided 29-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road on Sunday. After a gutty near-win over the Falcons in week one, it was a setback for a team that many figured would have a lot of them in 2017. They look for better this week at home. But incoming are the Steelers, who went to 2-0 on Sunday with a 26-9 win over the Vikings. Can the Bears compete and keep the Steelers in check? Or will Pittsburgh romp en route to another convincing victory?
Chicago is in a tough spot. Already battered by injury issues, they are trying to make it work with what really is a roster that has been stripped bare of its powers. Against Tampa, a lot of the offensive stats were comparable as far as first downs, yardage, and time of possession were concerned. But mistakes in terms of penalties and turnovers were the real culprit for Chicago's failings.
On Sunday, Chicago starting QB Mike Glennon threw for 301 yards. It just doesn't mean much when all you can show for it is a garbage TD with under two minutes left in a 29-0 game. Glennon coughed up a fumble and threw two picks, one of which was returned for a TD, with rookie back Tarik Cohen giving away another fumble on the day. The Chicago run-game accounted for all of 20 yards on 16 carries and if they want to have any chance in games, they need Cohen and Jordan Howard to get cooking, albeit behind a line that looks to have regressed. Kendall Wright had some nice catches on the afternoon, with Deonte Thompson also getting some work. Cohen caught 8 passes against the Bucs. But alas, it didn't mean much in light of the mistakes, turnovers, and drives that just suddenly stalled-out.
The Chicago defense didn't shine on Sunday, no doubt exacerbated by an offense that offered little to no support. They might not have yielded a big game to Jameis Winston and they were pretty tough against the run, but they weren't very clutch in key situations and didn't make any big plays. Still, with 7 of Tampa's points coming on a defensive TD, they weren't really all that bad. And that was after giving up just 23 points to Atlanta the previous week. Rookie safety Eddie Jackson looks to be the real deal and the secondary looks good with Kyle Fuller, Quintin Demps and Marcus Cooper now in the fold. Eddie Goldman and Willie Young had sacks on the day, while guys like Mitch Unrein and Akiem Nicks helped keep the Tampa run-game in check. This group will really be put to the test on Sunday.
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Pittsburgh played a little better in week two, albeit against a road Vikings team that was out of their element, especially without starting QB Sam Bradford. Pittsburgh, known for offense, has actually been seeing the other side of the ball making the real difference and on Sunday, they were huge. The Steelers' offense wasn't in full-bloom, making one wonder what their real ceiling is once the offense snaps into high-gear.
Pittsburgh is still working key members of the offense into the routine. After a long hold-out, Le'Veon Bell got more work in week two, running for 87 yards. He should continue to get better, which is bad news for Chicago. After a long suspension, Martavis Bryant showcased his wares, catching a 51-yard touchdown, with 91 yards overall on the game. Antonio Brown was quiet for his standards, with just 62 yards. QB Ben Roethlisberger connected with rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster, who caught his first NFL touchdown on Sunday. Again, it's going to get even worse for opposing defenses once Roethlisberger and his deep cast of playmakers start hitting their stride.
Again, the Steelers' defense caught a break with Bradford being out of action, as they made life hard on replacement Case Keenum, who was of-key for most of the game. Minnesota's run-game had some success, as the Steelers front had less success this week against a good Vikes' O-line. Still, it didn't matter much at the end of the day. It also didn't help Minnesota that they were flagged a bunch of times. The middle was pretty good, led by Ryan Shazier and rookie TJ Watt. But Watt went down in the first half with a groin injury and it would bad if injuries plague what looked like was shaping up into a special rookie season. So far, Joe Haden, Sean Davis, Artie Burns, and William Gay have been pretty solid against the pass.
This isn't all that easy for the Steelers, as they don't often make their way out to Soldier Field for a game. We see injuries already starting to pile up on defense for Pittsburgh and we'll see how that all shapes up. But we feel they will start getting better and better over the course of the season. Bell is warming up, as is a vast receiving crew. If Chicago's week one performance is any indication, however, they should be fairly gritty at home, much like how Cleveland was in game one when they covered the spread against the Steelers. We see them getting the cover at home.
Loot's Prediction to Cover the Point Spread: I'm betting on the Chicago Bears plus 7.5 points. Tired of your credit card not working for sportsbook deposit? End that problem today and bet the Pittsburgh vs. Chicago game by signing up at Bovada Sportsbook where your credit card WILL work and where you'll receive a generous 100% sign-up bonus!