Come Sunday night, Heinz Field is expected to be rocking for the big-time tilt between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks. It’s always fun when these teams go to battle, and this same should be the case in Week 6 in primetime. In this piece, we have NFL SNF picks for Steelers vs. Seahawks, with Ben Roethlisberger hoping to power his team to a victory. Will he get the job done?
As you might have been able to guess, the Steelers are favorites to win with Russell Wilson sidelined. Hearts all over Seattle remain broken after the superstar quarterback suffered his thumb injury in last week’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Wilson had to undergo surgery and he’s all set to miss 4-8 weeks for the NFC West team. This totally changes the game plan for head coach Pete Carroll.
That’s not Pittsburgh’s worry, though, as their defense will be ready to make even more plays than before. That’s because Seattle will be starting Geno Smith at quarterback. While Smith is a veteran and has a strong right arm, he’s in for a long night going up against the Steelers’ front-seven. That’s our expectation here. If Chris Carson can’t get the ground game operating at a high level, there will be too much pressure for Smith.
| SNF odds |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers to win | -220 | -220 | -220 | -220 |
| Seahawks to win | +184 | +184 | +184 | +184 |
| Over hitting | -106 | -106 | -106 | -106 |
| Under hitting | -114 | -114 | -114 | -114 |
Meanwhile on offense for the Steelers, the team was dealt some bad news of their own, as JuJu Smith-Schuster suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. You simply hate seeing that for the young wide receiver. He’s a great option in the attack for Roethlisberger. With that said, they have guys like Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool who will be ready to step up, while running back Najee Harris is coming off a huge game.
Per the Las Vegas sportsbooks, the Steelers hold -220 NFL odds to come away with a victory in this one. Seattle has its back against the wall, as they’re +184 underdogs. With Pittsburgh hosting this game too, it’s only going to make things even more difficult for the Seahawks. With that said, we’re going with the Steelers as our pick to win. Do you agree? Check out our NFL betting sites and place a wager.
In terms of points scored, the over/under will be an intriguing bet for fans to consider. Per the oddsmakers, things have been set at 42.5 points. The over holds -106 odds, while the under has been placed at -114. It goes without saying, but the fact that Wilson will miss this contest and that Smith is getting the start is going to have a major impact on the total here. If Wilson were playing, we’d take the over no doubt. However, Smith suiting up changes things.
Again, it’s been years since Smith was a starting quarterback in this league. Out of West Virginia, he had so much promise as a youngster in this league, but he was never able to take off when leading the offense for the New York Jets. He’s been the backup for Wilson in Seattle for a while now, barely seeing the field. If anything, Smith has been more known for his performances in the team’s coin tosses when needed.
Can fans really expect Smith to blow up and record the kinds of numbers that Wilson does? You’re out of your mind if you think Smith is going to end up throwing for 300 yards and 4-5 touchdowns. He’s just not good enough to make that happen, especially against a defense as strong as Pittsburgh’s. They’re going to apply heavy pressure on him, making things tough for the Seattle offensive line.
While we think that Pittsburgh could have a big night on offense, it’s going to be tough for Seattle and Smith to match that kind of intensity. The outcome on Sunday night very well could be something like 21-10 or 21-14. We’re not expecting tons of touchdowns to be recorded by the two sides. With all of that said, we’re rocking with the under between these two teams in Week 6.
From the opening kickoff, we think the Steelers should get off to a strong start against Seattle’s defense. While Roethlisberger will work to try and keep silencing his haters by throwing the ball all over the field, we think it’s the ground game that will lead the way in the first half. The rushing attack is of course led by Harris, a former superstar for the University of Alabama.
While Harris got off to a bit of a slow start to his rookie season, he truly was fantastic in the Week 5 win going up against the Denver Broncos. In that victory, the first-year running back rushed the ball 23 times for 122 yards and a touchdown. He averaged more than five yards per carry, which of course was amazing to see for veteran head coach Mike Tomlin.
In the opening 15 minutes of play, we expect the Steelers to feed Harris early and often. There’s little doubt they’ll be able to find the end zone. The oddsmakers agree as Pittsburgh has -160 odds to close out the first quarter with a lead over Seattle. The Hawks have +136 first-quarter odds. Again, we’re going with the Steelers here, as they should land the first few punches going up against Seattle’s defense.
