NFL Week 3 Monday Night Football Betting

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The Steelers search for their first win of the season against undefeated Tampa Bay in a very intriguing NFL Week 3 Monday Night Football  betting matchup on Sep. 24th. Pittsburgh tied with Cleveland in Week 1 before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2. Will Week 3 serve as Pittsburgh’s turnaround, or will Tampa continue their hot streak?

NFL WEEK 3 MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL BETTING Pittsburgh Steelers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Monday, September 24th – Raymond James Stadium – 8:15pm ET Odds: Tampa Bay -1.5 (54)

Steelers Offense vs Buccaneers Defense To say that Ben Roethlisberger has been doing some heavy lifting in Pittsburgh is an understatement. The Steelers have produced a whopping 473.5 yards per game on offense, the 2nd most in the NFL. But that's a byproduct of their inept defense (more on them in a second). Where the Steelers will have a strict advantage is through the air. Tampa Bay’s defense isn’t good enough to keep Roethlisberger from going off in a must win game for the Steelers. They've allowed the most passing yards this season, and are the fourth worst scoring defense in the whole league.

Edge: Steelers   

Buccaneers Offense vs Steelers Defense Tampa Bay quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has been en fuego in the first two weeks of the season, throwing for 819 yards and an 8-1 TD/INT ratio. Will Fitzmagic slow down versus a Pittsburgh defense that's been entirely vulnerable through two weeks?

I believe so because the Steelers should have spent this entire week working on schemes to mitigate Fitzpatrick. The other component here is that the Tampa Bay rushing attack hasn't been a factor because it only averages 77.5 yards per game. No star has emerged as the feature running back in Tampa, and that places the defensive focus clearly on the quarterback. He has a lot of weapons, but the Steelers aren't going to take this game lightly after two embarrassing performances to kick start their now turbulent season.

The Steelers know they must win on Monday night. The defense should be better prepared to face Fitzpatrick than either the Saints or Eagles were. Nobody has been giving Fitzmagic the credit he deserves, and the Steel Curtain has more defensive potential than they showed against Kansas City in Week 2. Everyone's been overreacting (and somewhat rightfully so) to the action we've seen so far. What's quickly been forgotten about the Steelers defense is that they were a top-10 unit last season. They have a greater chance of emerging as a force once again.

Edge: Steelers

NFL Week 3 Monday Night Football Betting Analysis and ATS Prediction The betting line’s gone from Steelers -2.5 to Steelers -1.5, which is a clear indication that everyone is giving Tampa Bay a lot of respect and attention. That makes sense because the Steelers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games following an ATS loss and 0-4 ATS versus a team with a winning record. Although all signs point to the Steelers losing this game straight up, I’m not sold on Tampa Bay as a real contender in the NFC just yet.

The Buccaneers defense got lucky in Week 1 after the Saints’ secondary played about as awful as it could. In Week 2, the Bucs battled Philly backup quarterback Nick Foles.

Also, I don’t believe there’s any way journeyman quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick keeps this going. Fitzpatrick should come back to earth in this game, courtesy of a motivated Steelers defense, which is why I’m all over the Steelers to win this one and cover the spread.

Week 3 Sunday Night Football Betting Free Pick: PIT +1.5