Bengals live home ‘dogs
After rolling an ankle during Thursday’s practice, Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hobbled off the field. It was a fitting scene for a team limping through the first half of the season.
The Steelers are 2-3 and showing few signs of getting healthy on the injury report or in the win column. The good news for Roethlisberger, who always seems to be playing hurt, is his sore ankle is not serious enough to keep him sidelined.
The bad news for Pittsburgh is two invaluable starters – safety Troy Polamalu and running back Rashard Mendenhall – will be missing in action for tonight’s AFC North battle with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Roethlisberger has been outstanding amid his team’s struggles, passing for 1,487 yards and 10 touchdowns with two interceptions. But the Steelers are 0-3 on the road after blowing fourth-quarter leads at Denver, Oakland and Tennessee.
“I don’t believe the Steelers are the same team they have been in the past,” Las Vegas handicapper Mike Scalleat said. “The tide is turning in that division, and the Steelers are taking a step back. It’s all going to be on Roethlisberger without a running game.”
Scalleat, who finished fourth in the LVH SuperContest in 2007, recommends following the steady flow of money on the Bengals as 1½-point home underdogs.
Not that Cincinnati (3-3) is a team without flaws. The Bengals surrendered 34 points in a loss at Cleveland last week, after getting upended at home by Miami.
“The Bengals are off back-to-back losses, and I think they’re better than that,” Scalleat said. “The Bengals are a young team. The Steelers look like an old team, and I don’t see them being in the running for the playoffs.”
Cincinnati’s young talent is headlined by quarterback Andy Dalton and wide receiver A.J. Green. Dalton passed for a career-high 381 yards and three touchdowns against the Browns, but he also was intercepted three times. Green is blossoming into a star with 43 receptions for 628 yards and six touchdowns.
“It’s a big game for the Bengals,” Scalleat said, “and I think Dalton will put up some points.”
But the Steelers have won 10 of their past 11 games in Cincinnati, so there’s a little more good news for Roethlisberger.
Scalleat scouts the rest of today’s Week 7 schedule:
■ Tennessee at Buffalo (-3½): The Titans are one of the worst teams in the league, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is getting old, and Chris Johnson is not having a good season running the ball. I don’t see many points coming from Tennessee, even though the Buffalo defense is allowing 32 per game and ranks 31st in the NFL. The Bills are off an upset win at Arizona, and this is a good spot for them to get another victory. You have to hope Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has thrown eight interceptions, limits his mistakes. C.J. Spiller has 453 yards rushing and is getting 7.6 per carry, so the Bills can run the ball.
■ Arizona at Minnesota (-6½): John Skelton is back at quarterback for the Cardinals, replacing an injured Kevin Kolb. I think the Minnesota defense is too strong, and the Vikings have played well at home. Adrian Peterson looks good running the ball, and quarterback Christian Ponder can make plays. The Vikings are one of my top plays.
■ Cleveland at Indianapolis (-1½): I know some money is showing on the Browns, but I like the Colts at home. Of these two rookie quarterbacks, Cleveland’s Brandon Weeden does not look as good as Andrew Luck. I like teams coming off a bad loss, so Indianapolis is my play at less than a field goal. I expect Luck to make some things happen.
■ Baltimore at Houston (-7): Look for the Texans to rebound after getting pounded 42-24 by Green Bay. Arian Foster, who has 561 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground, could have a big game against a beat-up Baltimore defense that’s missing leader Ray Lewis. I’m not a fan of the Ravens on the road. I bet this at minus-5½, and obviously it’s a better play at that number.
■ Green Bay (-5½) at St. Louis: This is the Packers’ third straight road game, and the Rams are 3-0 at home. I think Green Bay will win a close one, and I look for a low-scoring game under the total of 45½. St. Louis is playing some strong defense for coach Jeff Fisher. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers played great last week, but this game should be a grind.
■ Dallas (-2½) at Carolina: The Cowboys were impressive in a 31-29 loss at Baltimore, but they came up empty, and they desperately need a win now at 2-3. Dallas quarterback Tony Romo is a little more reliable than the Panthers’ Cam Newton, who is having a sophomore slump. I’m going to go with the Cowboys, who should be able to run on the Carolina defense.
■ Washington at New York Giants (-6): This is a big NFC East rivalry, but the Giants also have Dallas on deck next week in a revenge game. The Giants are a better road team and they don’t seem to cover much at home. They are on an emotional high after blowing out the 49ers in San Francisco. Washington won both meetings last season. I’ll give a little nod to the Redskins as ‘dogs. I think Robert Griffin III will help them stay close. But this is not a big play for me.
■ New Orleans (-1½) at Tampa Bay: The Saints are coming off a bye after their first win, but they are not as good on the road, and the grass slows down their offense. Tight end Jimmy Graham is out, and that hurts, too. The Tampa Bay defense is solid, ranking 12th in scoring by allowing 20.2 points per game. The New Orleans defense is the league’s worst. I bet the Buccaneers at plus-3. I don’t see the Saints winning the game.
■ New York Jets at New England (-10½): I’m going to lay the points with the Patriots. The line is that high for a reason. New England scores more and plays better defense, and this is a pretty big rivalry for coach Bill Belichick. I don’t know if we’ll see much of Tim Tebow, but a weak Jets offense needs some kind of a boost. I look for the Patriots to put it all together and win by 14 to 17 points, if not more.
■ Jacksonville at Oakland (-6): This line jumped from 4 to 6, and that’s a big number for the Raiders to cover, but I’m not a fan of the Jaguars. This is a tough game for me, and I can’t take a side. This should be ugly, so I might consider a play under the total of 44.
COMPILED BY MATT YOUMANS
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
