By Charles Jay
Week 1 NFL Betting Preview – Patriots vs Steelers
In the NFL betting odds posted on this game by the people at BetAnySports, the Patriots are the favorites at home:
New England Patriots -3.5
Pittsburgh Steelers +3.5
Over 48.5 points -110
Under 48.5 points -110
When all is said and done, the New England Patriots will most likely be poised to make another run at a Super Bowl championship, but it looks as if they are going to have to begin their journey without Tom Brady their star quarterback, and that will be a burden of sorts for coach Bill Belichick. They kickoff the NFL season on Thursday, September 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who will also be missing one of their star players to suspension, and may not have really replaced him to satisfaction. The game kicks off at 8:30 PM ET at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA, and BetAnySports customers can get in on the action even after the opening whistle, as they wager on the side, total and various propositions through the facilities of Live Betting Extra.
The Patriots were left for dead at one point in the schedule, after a 41-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Well, that proved to be their wake-up call, at least in the opinion of many football observers. They culminated an unusual journey with a victory in the Super Bowl, as Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks threw an ill-fated pass, the result of an ill-advised call. Nonetheless, Tom Brady had his fourth Super Bowl ring.
But Brady is highly likely to be unavailable for this season opener, due to some of the fallout from the well-known “Deflategate” scandal, which involves, of all things, underinflated footballs.
Brady was suspended for a stretch of four games from the start of the season, and as of this writing, he is involved in the appeals process. Most folks believe the best he can hope for is to get the suspension reduced to two games, which would have him on the bench for this one. The Pats will go with Jimmy Garoppolo, a second-year player who got limited time under center last season. But one positive aspect is that he’ll have plenty of practice time with the first unit, and we recall that when Matt Casell had been pressed into action on short notice after a Brady knee injury in the past, he filled in admirably. Of course, that was for almost an entire season, and New England did not make the playoffs that year, even with a 10-6 record.
BetAnySports customers know that the Steelers suffered badly when they were missing Le’Veon Bell, who emerged as a star last season, both as a rusher and receiver, piling up over 2200 yards from scrimmage. He’s got a three-game suspension which stemmed from his marijuana arrest almost a year ago. Considering that he provided 35% of the offense last year, his absence will be felt, and this team suffered in the playoffs because of it. Some people on the defensive side of the football were disgruntled that coordinator Dick LeBeau was let go, and Pittsburgh must also move forward after the retirement of future Hall of Fame safety Troy Polamalu, who was an unquestioned leader on the team.
BetAnySports can help get you off to a great start this football season, as there will be more ways for NFL betting than anywhere else. Remember that you can make your deposits using Bitcoin, as well is your Visa card, and reduced juice adds value to the whole package!