NFL Week 2 odds: Opening spread for Patriots vs. Steelers is shocking

Patriots

NFL Week 2 odds: Opening spread for Patriots vs. Steelers is shocking

There isn’t a lot of optimism surrounding the New England Patriots after their dismal performance in a Week 1 loss to the Miami Dolphins, but oddsmakers are still kind of bullish on Bill Belichick’s team.

That’s evident in the opening betting line for the Week 2 matchup between the Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium.

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The Patriots are 1-point favorites despite their awful season-opening performance and the fact they have to play a quality Steelers team on the road.

Here are the full odds for Patriots-Steelers, via PointsBet:

The Patriots are 1-5 overall and 1-5 against the spread (ATS) in their last six games. They’re also 1-4 ATS in their last five road games.

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The Steelers escaped Cincinnati with a wild overtime win over the defending AFC champion Bengals on Sunday. Pittsburgh’s defense intercepted Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow four times and sacked him seven times.

T.J. Watt suffered what looked like a serious pectoral muscle injury late in the game, but even without the star defensive end, the Steelers front seven has more than enough talent to make life miserable for a shaky Patriots offensive line that got dominated by the Dolphins in Week 1. Steelers running back Najee Harris suffered a foot injury, too, but he reportedly should be fine.

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How many points can the Patriots realistically score against a very good Steelers defense on the road? They could only muster a single touchdown in 60 minutes against a weaker Dolphins defense. It was New England’s fewest points scored against Miami since 2006. Patriots quarterback Mac Jones picked up a back injury on Sunday as well. 

It’s hard to envision the Patriots leaving Pittsburgh with a win.