Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New England Patriots, 9/6/19 Week 1 Predictions

Steelers vs. Patriots Over/Under Prediction

The first NFL Sunday Night Football Game of 2019 is a great one, as the Patriots will host the Steelers at 8:20 p.m. ET. That said, will the matchup fail to be the shootout that some are expecting it to be this Sunday night?

Game Snapshot

477 Pittsburgh Steelers (+5.5) at 478 New England Patriots (-5.5); O/U 49

8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday, September 8, 2019

Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA

Public Betting Trends

According to our NFL Football Public Betting Chart page, the Steelers are receiving 52% of the betting tickets from online sportsbooks.

Pittsburgh Steelers Fantasy Spin

Steelers signed CB Joe Haden to a two-year, $22 million extension through 2021. The deal includes a hefty $16.8 million signing bonus. Haden is no longer an elite corner, but he's still a serviceable CB1 and deserved a new contract. The Steelers now control Haden through his age-33 season, which somewhat lines up with their Super Bowl window with Big Ben aging.

New England Patriots Fantasy Spin

Patriots re-signed WR Demaryius Thomas to a one-year contract. There was talk of Thomas potentially reuniting with Denver after the Pats cut him loose, but coming back to Foxboro was too enticing an opportunity to pass up. The veteran will fill the void left by rookie N'Keal Harry, who is headed to I.R. with an ankle injury. Thomas showed well in his preseason debut last week, shredding the Giants for 87 yards and two touchdowns on seven catches. He'll compete with Phillip Dorsett and Jakobi Meyers for the third receiver role in New England.

NFL Betting Trends

Pittsburgh

The under is 6-1 in the Steelers’ last seven games versus AFC opponents and is 36-16 in their last 52 road games.

New England

The under is 4-1 in the Patriots’ last five home games and is 9-3 in their last 12 games overall.

Prediction

The Pittsburgh-New England matchups in the past have been relatively low-scoring, with the under cashing in four of the last five games overall. The Steelers are probably happy they traded Antonio Brown to the Raiders this offseason, but they still lost yet another elite play-maker on offense (one year after having Le’Veon Bell hold out the entire season). Meanwhile, the Patriots typically struggle (at least for them) in September, including Tom Brady. While I could foresee both teams getting into the low-20s, I don’t see either reaching the 30s, which would aid over bettors.

NFL Week 1 Prediction: Steelers/Patriots UNDER 49