Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers will look to overcome a sluggish start and their own in-house drama when they take on Ryan Fitzpatrick and the impressive Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a suddenly intriguing NFL Week 3 Inter-Conference clash on Monday night. With both teams looking nothing like they were expected to look in 2018, let’s find out where the best betting value for this matchup lies.
Why should you bet on Tampa bay in this matchup? Well, because the Buccaneers have been downright unstoppable offensively since the start of the season. Tampa Bay jumped all over New Orleans to win their opener 48-40 on the road no less and then the Bucs followed that up with an hard-fought27-21 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
Veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has passed for over 400 yards in both games this season while tossing an identical four TD passes in each game. Veteran wide receiver DeSean Jackson has nine catches for a league-leading 275 yards and three touchdowns while fellow wideout Mike Evans has a league-high 17 receptions for 230 yards and two scores.
“I think we just developed a lot of confidence in the offseason and through training camp with how we worked, and the way things were going, and the rapport with the guys,” the 35-year-old Fitzpatrick said. “I think that confidence has carried over into the season.”
Steelers vs Buccaneers NFL Week 3 Lines & Betting Analysis
When: Monday, September 24, 2018 at 8:15 PM ET Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida TV: ESPN NFL Week 3 Odds: Pittsburgh -1.5 Total: 53.5Week 3 in Tampa. #GamePreview pic.twitter.com/90HkIagIaT
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 21, 2018
Weather Forecast
- Partly Cloudy: 27°C/80°F
- Humidity: 83%
- Precipitation: 7%
- Wind: 5 mph E
- Cloud Cover: 52%
- Type of Stadium: Open
Why Bet On the Pittsburgh Steelers?
Why should you bet on the Steelers in Week 3? Well, because they’re completely desperate after their uninspiring play over the first two weeks of the regular season. The Steelers also still have a bunch of elite playmakers on their roster in guys like Antonio Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster and others. After kicking off their 2018 campaign with an uninspiring 21-21 tie against Cleveland, the Steelers got blown away in their stunning 42-37 loss against Kansas City last weekend in which they allowed second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes to throw a whopping six touchdown passes. Ben Roethlisberger passed for 452 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, but the Steelers defense never showed up at all. Superstar running back Le’Veon Bell is out in a contract dispute (again) and wide receiver Antonio Brown has been ‘acting a fool’ recently. Reports say that head coach Mike Tomlin has lost control of the locker room and I can see that being the case. “It’s not fun, but it’s still early,” Roethlisberger said. “It’s kind of where are we going to go from here. It’s kind of a mirror, gut check, whatever you want to call it. We’ll see how everyone wants to respond.”Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 29
- Total Yards: 473.5
- Pass Yards: 377.50
- Rush Yards: 96
- Average Score Against: 31.50
- Total Yards: 388
- Pass Yards: 236
- Rush Yards: 152
Why Bet On the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
Why should you bet on Tampa bay in this matchup? Well, because the Buccaneers have been downright unstoppable offensively since the start of the season. Tampa Bay jumped all over New Orleans to win their opener 48-40 on the road no less and then the Bucs followed that up with an hard-fought27-21 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
Veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has passed for over 400 yards in both games this season while tossing an identical four TD passes in each game. Veteran wide receiver DeSean Jackson has nine catches for a league-leading 275 yards and three touchdowns while fellow wideout Mike Evans has a league-high 17 receptions for 230 yards and two scores.
“I think we just developed a lot of confidence in the offseason and through training camp with how we worked, and the way things were going, and the rapport with the guys,” the 35-year-old Fitzpatrick said. “I think that confidence has carried over into the season.”
Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 37.50
- Total Yards: 482.50
- Pass Yards: 405
- Rush Yards: 77.50
- Average Score Against: 30.50
- Total Yards: 443.50
- Pass Yards: 376.50
- Rush Yards: 67
Steelers vs Buccaneers NFL Week 3 Betting Trends
- Pittsburgh is 1-8 ATS in the last 9 games
- Pittsburgh is 18-6-1 SU in the last 25 games
- The total went OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 5 games
- Tampa Bay is 5-0 ATS in the last 5 games
- Tampa Bay is 5-10 SU in the last 15 games
- The total went OVER in 6 of Tampa Bay’s last 9 games
