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The 49ers vs. Steelers point spread had Pittsburgh as a -6 home favorite.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (1-0) at PITTSBURGH STEELERS (0-1)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Pittsburgh -6, Total: 45.5
The Steelers look to avoid an 0-2 hole to start the season on Sunday afternoon when they host the 49ers for the first time since 2007.
San Francisco RB Carlos Hyde stole the show on Monday Night Football with a league-best 168 rushing yards. Despite a painfully ugly first half of football versus Minnesota, the black and red clad Niners didn’t seem all that different from the team that went to three straight NFC Title games. The defense, led by LB NaVorro Bowman, looked fast and violent, QB Colin Kaepernick was quick and decisive, and Hyde looked like he was the All-Pro instead of the returning Adrian Peterson, leading his team to a 20-3 victory.
Pittsburgh will again be without RB Le’Veon Bell, serving the final game of his suspension, which means the DeAngelo Williams revival tour will get another week in the spotlight. Williams racked up 127 yards on the ground in the 28-21 loss to New England, providing this matchup of the surprising leading rushers in each conference.
These two storied franchises haven’t met since 2011 and haven’t played in the Steel City since a 37-16 Steelers win in 2007. The teams have alternated victories in the four meetings since 1999, all four of those decided by at least 16 points. The losing team has scored less than 20 points in all 13 meetings since 1969.
In the 2011 matchup, Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger had one of the worst games of his career, throwing three picks with zero touchdowns, marking the only game since 2009 where he had 0 TD and 3 INT. The Steelers are 1-8 SU when Roethlisberger throws 3+ interceptions and San Francisco led the NFL with 23 picks last season. The Niners are 4-2 ATS versus the Steelers since 1992, including 2-1 ATS in Pittsburgh, while Kaepernick is 16-8 ATS in his career on the road.
Kaepernick’s numbers last Monday night didn't blow anybody away at 17-of-26 for 165 yards, but his 41 rushing yards and overall control of the offensive unit looked a lot more like the budding superstar from 2013 than last year’s shell of a player.
CB Tramaine Brock had the lone 49ers takeaway, a fourth quarter interception of Teddy Bridgewater, and the rest of the defense flew around like the elite unit they used to be. LB NaVorro Bowman, in his first game since 2013, was one of five Niners with a sack while holding the Vikings offense to just 248 total yards.
San Francisco tallied 395 yards of offense, a number it eclipsed just three times last season, and without the eight penalties, that number could’ve been north of 450. This bodes well for Week 2, as the club is 8-1 on the road when throwing for 150-to-200 yards in the past three seasons with the average margin of victory at 12.4 points per game.
The only noticeable weakness for San Francisco was the special teams. Aging kicker Phil Dawson was not sharp once again, rugby star and fan-favorite Jarryd Hayne muffed the first punt of his career, and multiple flags spoiled a brilliant return to the house by WR Bruce Ellington.
Williams’ rushing total last Thursday was his best single-game mark since the final contest of the 2012 season and his first 100+ yard game in nearly two seasons. Ben Roethlisberger was average by his standards in Week 1, throwing for 351 yards, but just one meaningless late-game score to accompany a fourth quarter interception. Pittsburgh's offense moved the ball up and down the field all evening in Foxboro, but a pair of missed field goals and countless missed opportunities left them out in the cold despite outgaining the Pats 464-361.
One encouraging trend for this matchup is San Francisco’s 13-27 mark ATS when allowing 400-to-450 total yards (22-43 ATS when allowing 400+) since 1992. After not forcing a turnover versus New England, the Steelers will look to get back to playing their brand of football, as they’re 8-0 when their defense forces two turnovers in the past three seasons.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
