Pittsburgh at Jacksonville

Whoa. Pittsbugh finally lost ATS last week after covering eight straight games and Big Ben's been less than stellar for a couple of weeks in a row. Maybe they aren't that good. Jacksonville has more to play for here - maybe they'll win. Hogwash on both fronts. Ladies and Germs, this Steelers team is for real. We're only laying three here which is a gift. I think this spread should be closer to six. Jacksonville does not match up well here. While their defense is very good, their offense is not. Against a great defensive team like Pitt, they will struggle mightily to move the ball, let alone score points. Pittsburgh has squeked by the past couple of weeks but it's amazing they haven't dropped a game. They've been without running back Duce Staley for a month and Plaxico Burress sat out last game when Pitt had to face the league's #1 defense. Both Plaxico and the Duce are expected to play in this one. It's true that Jacksonville has a lot to play for but they're running into one of the best teams in the NFL that also has a lot to play for. The Steelers are deadlocked with New England atop the AFC. Home field advantage will probably decide which of these two teams heads to the Super Bowl and the Steelers know that. No chance of a let down here. Jacksonville has had it's greatest success this year when they can establish the run with Fred Taylor. The Jags' recipe for success includes great defense and ball control offense. They can't win a shootout because they can't score. Jacksonville is averaging just 16.5 points per game. Well, I don't see Taylor having much success againt the league's best run defense - a team that has allowed just one 100 yard rusher this season. Pittsburgh has the league's most prolific running game and the top defense. The stats back up the fact that Pittsburgh is for real. Remind me why we are only laying three here? Three stars on the Steelers minus the field goal.