Ryan Kramer’s read on this one starts and ends with Todd Bowles sending pressure at Pittsburgh’s quarterback, a matchup he called tailor-made for the Tampa defense. The Steelers visit the Buccaneers on Sunday, October 18 at 1:00 PM ET in Tampa, FL, and they were 2.5-point favorites with a total of 39 when the guys taped on October 14. The full argument is on the NFL Picks Week 6 episode.
Steelers vs Buccaneers Odds
The Steelers were 2.5-point favorites over the Buccaneers, with a total of 39, when the guys taped on October 14.
Our Picks
- Ryan Kramer (@KramerCentric): Buccaneers +2.5
- Sean Green (@SeanTGreen): Steelers -2.5
Ryan opened with the Pittsburgh side of it. He flagged a look-ahead spot, with the Steelers headed to Paris next, and a back-to-back road trip against a Tampa team that had a couple of extra days off. Then he went to the blitz: Pittsburgh’s quarterback is at his worst when pressure gets home, and Bowles is willing to just send it. He added that this Steelers defense is not what it used to be, and that he likes Tampa better when it calls a game around its quarterback’s mobility.
Sean understood why the total sits at 39, because he wants to fade both offenses. The Steelers need their running game to get going, and he pointed out that the Bucs rank second in fewest rushing yards allowed to backs, with Vita Vea clogging the middle. On the other side, Sean said Pittsburgh’s linebackers have been very good at limiting rushing quarterbacks, and if Tampa’s young starter can’t make plays with his legs, he likes the Steelers defense a lot more. His tiebreaker is turnovers. He sees a 21-17 kind of game and laid the 2.5.
Ryan stayed on the home dog and called Bowles’ aggressive defense the sole reason. He said he rewatched the Steelers’ game against the Colts and thought their running game bailed them out, and he cited a number ranking Pittsburgh third-worst against the blitz. Sean pushed back by asking when, besides the Cowboys game, the Tampa defense has actually looked good, and brought a trend for good measure: the Steelers 10 and 0 against the spread in their last 10 against the NFC South.
Hear the full breakdown on the NFL Picks Week 6 episode, or listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Watch every game on YouTube, and download the SGPN app at sg.pn/links. See all our NFL Picks.
