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Jacksonville Jaguars vs Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers came into the 2011 season ready to show that they could return to the Super Bowl, and even win it this time around, as they have six times in the past. But after early season struggles, a lot of people started doubting the Steelers’ ability to get it done, but have since begun to silence the chatter.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Pittsburgh Steelers
Venue/Stadium: Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Time/Date: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, October 16, 2011 on CBS
NFL Odds From: BetOnline.com
Moneyline: Pittsburgh Steelers -600, Jacksonville Jaguars +450
Spread (ATS): Pittsburgh Steelers -13 ½, +105
Over/Under: 40 ½, -110
The Pittsburgh Steelers are finally riding high after a rough start to the season, and will now get an off week. Wait, no, their playing the Jacksonville Jaguars … well, close enough.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have been awful so far in 2011, but have improved since choosing to ride with rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert, wherever he may take them.
Gabbert has thrown for 608 yards and three touchdowns since taking over the offense, and has shown that he has all the potential in the world. The only problem is, that potential isn’t enough for the Jaguars to be any sort of competitive team this year.
Running back Maurice Jones-Drew has run rampant on defense in 2011, rushing for 476 yards and two touchdowns, but hasn’t put out enough to really carry his team to victories. If Jones-Drew can stay healthy in the future though, the team likely has a deadly duo in the making with him and Gabbert.
The Steelers, on the other hand, have all the talent in the world, and finally started living up to it in the past couple of weeks, but now face a bigger problem than a little inconsistency. The injury bug has hit Pittsburgh badly lately, with Rashard Mendenhall, the team’s most dependable running back, and James Harrison, the defenses silent leader, both missing last week.
Mendenhall is expecting to play in this game, but how dominant his role will be in the offense has yet to be seen. And with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throwing the ball a lot more than previous years, Mendenhall’s impact on offense is likely to be minimal.
Despite this, the Steelers’ offense still is likely to blow right past the ailing Jaguar defense.
The odds makers have the Pittsburgh Steelers as a -13.5 point favorite with an over/under of 40.5.
Matt’s Prediction: Steelers 21, Jaguars 10 – It is just a bad matchup for the Jaguars. The Steelers are 13-point favorites, and rightly so. The Steelers are just far and away the better team, and it will show in the final outcome. The Steelers will put up more than enough points needed to win the game, as their defense is likely to embarrass the Jaguar’s rookie quarterback.
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