49ers at Steelers Betting Pick: Week 1

Kickoff for this matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers is set for 1:00 PM ET. The game will be played in Pittsburgh, PA at Acrisure Stadium with FOX carrying television coverage.

This non-conference matchup has the 49ers as the 2.5 point favorite to come away with the win. Are the best play against the spread? Or is there more value on the Steelers? Keep reading to find out.

Betting Odds for Steelers vs. 49ers

Spread: 49ers -2 | Steelers +2.5
Total: 40.5
MoneyLine: 49ers -143 | Steelers +116

Why You Should Bet on the Steelers

Despite finishing with an above .500 record at 9-8, the Pittsburgh Steelers did not make the playoffs last year. In the AFC-North, the Steelers finished 3rd with a record of 3-3. Overall, Pittsburgh wrapped up the season 8th in the AFC.

Last season, the Steelers were 4-3-1 vs. the spread at home and 6-3 on the road. Overall, they were favored in six of their 17 games, going 4-2 straight-up and 4-2 ATS. As the underdog, they were 6-4-1 vs. the spread. Pittsburgh wrapped up the season with an over/under record of 7-10.

Last season, Kenny Pickett completed 63.0% of his passes for a total of 2404 yards. For the season, he finished 24th among QB’s in passing yards and 19th in touchdowns (7). Pickett’s passer rating for the season was 76.7 (55th).

In the backfield, the Steelers are welcoming back Najee Harris who is the team’s top returning running back in terms of attempts and is coming off a season in which he finished with 1034 rushing yards and averaged 3 yards per attempt. Harris is entering his 3rd season in the league.

When looking at the team’s wide receiver group, the Steelers are returning last year’s two most productive players. Diontae Johnson caught 86 balls for 882 yards last season. George Pickens finished with 801 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

Why You Should Bet on the 49ers

The 49ers are looking to build on last year’s trip to the NFC-Championship game where they lost to the Eagles by a score of 31-7. Heading into last year’s playoffs, the 49ers had a regular season record of 13-4. After going, 7-0 against division opponents, San Francisco finished 1st in the NFC-West standings.

Looking back to last season, the average over/under line for the 49ers was 42.6 points leading to an over/under record of 10-10 for the 49ers. Against the spread, San Francisco was 13-7 with an average scoring margin of +8.7 points pere game.

Last season, Brock Purdy completed 67.1% of his passes for a total of 1374 yards. For the season, he finished 33rd among QB’s in passing yards and 15th in touchdowns (13). Purdy’s passer rating for the season was 107.3 (3rd).

In the backfield, the 49ers are welcoming back Christian McCaffrey who is the team’s top returning running back in terms of attempts and is coming off a season in which he finished with 1139 rushing yards and averaged 4 yards per attempt. McCaffrey is entering his 7th season in the league.

When looking at the team’s wide receiver group, the 49ers are returning last year’s two most productive players. Brandon Aiyuk caught 78 balls for 1015 yards last season. George Kittle finished with 765 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns.

Final Prediction & Where To Bet

Right now, the point spreads for both the 49ers and Steelers are right where they opened. Currently, the 49ers favored by -2.5 while the Steelers are +2.5 point home underdogs.

One trend working in the Steelers’ favor in this matchup is the fact that home underdogs covered the spread at a rate of 55.6% last season. Look for the Steelers to cover the spread in this week one matchup vs. the 49ers.

BetByState Expert Pick: Steelers +2.5

Where to Bet This Game

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