WAYNE ROOT
MILL--Arizona -
No Limit--Miami +
Perfect Play--Jacksonville -
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Inner Circle--Pittsburg +
Pittsburgh is 3-0 at home and will go all out to win one for the injury of their quarterback Ben Rothlisberger. They owe that to him. Many think Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell will manage touchdowns, because they’re too good not to score. Landry Jones is more than capable as Ben's replacement. The line went from -1 to +7 which is more than an abundance of added points. The Steelers still have plenty of weapons on offense, and as Patriots fans just witnessed during the first four weeks of the season, it is indeed possible for a backup quarterback to succeed. Numbers don't matter for the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is not the same scheme without Ben at the controls. Le'Veon Bell and DeAngelo Williams become the lead dogs for the Steelers, who will pound on first and second down while occasionally unleashing Landry Jones in a play-action attack. The Steelers are a good football team even if they did not show it in South Beach this past weekend. The offensive game plan does not put a major focus on Jones. Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell since returning from a three-game suspension is averaging a league-leading 146.7 yards from scrimmage per game. Bell has lined up as a traditional running back, a slot receiver and a wideout. But this is a game where the Steelers could lean heavily on Bell as a traditional halfback. Despite the injury and subsequent change in the betting odds, Pittsburgh feels they can pull off the upset. They can win a low-scoring game, keeping the final score below the over/under of 45.5. The Steelers will have to rely heavily on Le’Veon Bell, who is one of the league’s most explosive running backs, controlling time of possession and keeping the ball out of New England’s hands. Pittsburgh has been dominant in front of their home fans. Lastly, the Steelers don't have to win, just cover.
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Pinnacle--Philadelphia + ***NFL Shocker of Year
The Eagles lost two straight after their bye week and are hoping for the same results for the Vikings. After a week 6 bye week the Vikings had the benefit of an extra week of preparation or an extra week to lose their momentum. The momentum of the first five weeks of the season could take a while for the Vikings to get back into the swing of things. The Eagles are one of the most talented teams that the Vikings will have faced so far, so anything could happen. For a rookie, Carson Wentz has had an astoundingly successful start to his career, throwing for a 65% completion percentage, 1,186 yards, seven touchdowns, and only one interception through five games. Wentz has been both explosive and efficient, throwing for a passer rating of 99.9, which ranks 7th among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts this year. With Stefon Diggs out with an injury two weeks ago against the Texans, Adam Thielen stepped up and recorded the first ever 100-yard receiving game, with a career-high 127 yards and a touchdown. Diggs should be dressed and ready for Wentz. Philadelphia owns the league's seventh highest-scoring offense (26.6 points per game). The Eagles have a stable of running backs in Ryan Mathews, veteran Darren Sproles, and Wendell Smallwood, combining to average 4.1 yards per carry. Defensively is where the Eagles need to focus. The Eagles defense is first against the pass, tied for 10th in sacks, and has allowed the second-fewest third-down conversions in the NFL. This is the same team that blew out the Pittsburgh Steelers a few weeks ago. If the Eagles offense keeps the Vikings defense off guard it's because of their versatility. New head coach Doug Pederson has worked wonders with the offense. He has spread the ball around to various players. The Eagles have four running backs with over 100 yards rushing. They have five receivers with over 100 yards receiving. Philadelphia needs to mix it up, go all out on defense and get off to a quick start to then put the brakes on and keep it low scoring.