Pittsburgh Steelers vs San Francisco 49ers Point Spread Picks

Mike Tomlin did another superior coaching job last season and avoided what would have been his first losing season and Pittsburgh won six of its last seven games to finish 9-8 and narrowly missed the playoffs. Kenny Pickett won seven of the 12 games he started and he looked great this preseason as he played five possessions and they all resulted in touchdowns. The Steelers always seem to have a solid defense and this year is no exception as it is anchored by linebacker T.J. Watt and end Cameron Heyward. Pittsburgh did not allow more than 17 points in any of its final seven games last season. Brock Purdy has recovered from elbow surgery, but it remains to be seen if he can duplicate his initial success in the league as opposing defenses make adjustments. The Steelers covered the spread their last four games and four of their last six stayed UNDER. The 49ers are 8-1 UNDER in Week 1 and they are 4-0 UNDER as road favorites of 0.5-3.0 points. Pittsburgh has gone UNDER four consecutive Week 1 games and it is 5-1-1 ATS its past seven games as a home underdog. Take the Steelers and the UNDER.

Both teams went OVER last week with Pittsburgh losing 28-26 to Seattle and San Francisco blowing out the Bengals 41-17. The posted total is deflated in this matchup probably due to the absence of injured Ben Roethlisberger, but Mason Rudolph stepped in and completed 12-of-19 passes for 112 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.  The Steelers also got some production on the ground with 81 rushing yards after gaining only 32 in the season opener against New England. San Francisco breezed past Cincinnati as Jimmy Garoppolo tied his career-high with three TD passes and the 49ers racked up 572 total yards for their most in seven years. The Niners are averaging 36 points and the game went OVER by 12 points. Pittsburgh has gone OVER in 10 of its last 14 in Week 3 and the Niners have gone OVER in four straight in the third game of the season. Also, the 49ers are 7-1 OVER when following a win and 4-1 OVER in their last five September games. Play the OVER.

The San Francisco 49ers opened a new era with a new coach, and it least for one week the team responded and appeared to be a lot better than advertised. The Niners defense, which is almost completely different than the one we saw just a couple of years ago, was the catalyst in their 20-3 win over Minnesota on Monday Night. San Francisco's defense recorded five sacks, and held Adrien Peterson to 31 yards. The offense wasn't so bad either, as they gained nearly 400 yards. The oddsmakers seem to be saying that they don't believe it, so they want to see it again. The Steelers were beaten 31-24 at New England, as the defense continues to be a problem, and the offense shot itself in the foot. The Niners are following the path of a lot of successful teams before them as they are coming off a lopsided Monday Night win. A team that won its last game on Monday Night by 17 points or more have gone on to go 85-53-4 ATS in their next game. Take San Francisco and the points.