Seahawks vs. Steelers Betting Odds & Picks: Will Pittsburgh Bounce Back?

Seahawks at Steelers Betting Odds

• Odds: Steelers -4
• Total: 47
• Time: 1 p.m. ET
• TV Channel: FOX

Odds above as of Thursday evening and via PointsBet, where Action Network users can exclusively bet every NFL Week 2 spread at reduced juice (-105).

Neither the Seahawks nor the Steelers looked terribly impressive in Week 1. The Seahawks squeaked by a lowly Cincinnati team, 21-20, as 9.5-point home favorites, while Pittsburgh had its doors blown off by the Patriots on Sunday Night Football.

Bettors seem to be pretty split over which team will bounce back in Week 2 as the Seahawks are seeing a slight majority (52% of tickets at time of writing) of the action.

Our analysts discuss which team has a better chance of righting the ship in Week 2. Sean Koerner also breaks down his projected odds.

Seahawks-Steelers Injury Report

Which team is healthier? Seahawks

JuJu Smith-Schuster (toe) and James Conner (illness) were both limited on Wednesday, but they bounced back to full practices on Thursday, so they should be all systems go in Week 2. Right now, the biggest question marks for the Steelers are C Maurkice Pouncey (ankle) and CB Joe Haden (shoulder), who have missed practices on Wednesday and Thursday.

Tyler Lockett (back) went from a missed practice on Wednesday to limited on Thursday, so he’s trending in the right direction. — Justin Bailey

Note: Info as of Thursday. See our Injury Report for daily practice participation and game statuses up until kickoff.

Sean Koerner's Projected Odds

• Projected Spread: Steelers -3
• Projected Total: 45.5

After being embarrassed by the Patriots on SNF, we’re getting quite the overreaction to the Steelers offense looking like a real issue. Obviously if you watched the game and reserved all bias, you too should have come to that conclusion. They were severely out-coached, but that’s a common theme for teams facing the Patriots.

It seems as if the public is backing the Seahawks here, but they had their own issues on the defensive side of the ball, allowing Andy Dalton and John Ross to have career games.

Look for Big Ben to bounce back here. The line moving from -3.5 to -4 tells me the sharps are in agreement.— Sean Koerner

Biggest Mismatch

Seahawks' Rushing Attack vs. Steelers' Run Defense

When Pittsburgh’s defense is at its best, it always stops the run — especially at home.

The Steelers held their opponents to fewer than 100 yards on the ground in six of eight games in 2018 (and one of the games they allowed 100 or more yards was Week 17, when resting starters). Despite getting blown out in Week 1, Pittsburgh held Sony Michel to just 59 yards on the ground and rookie middle linebacker Devin Bush excelled with 11 tackles.

The Seahawks prioritize establishing the run, even when it isn't working. Despite struggling to gain yards with the rush in Week 1, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer still ran the rock 25 times, averaging a putrid 2.9 yards per carry.

The Seahawks are always aware of pace of play. They ranked 26th in pace of play in 2018 and were the 25th-fastest team in Week 1 against the Bengals.

If the Steelers can contain the Seattle rushing game, this could become a laugher. Seattle needs to control the ball which is predicated on a strong running game. That will be a tough goal to achieve as the Seahawks are already thin at receiver and with Lockett questionable, it will be tough to keep the Steelers from selling out against the run.

If Chris Carson and backup Rashaad Penny can keep the Steelers defensive front off-balance, Seattle will keep this game close. Otherwise, Pittsburgh's offense will turn this into a blowout. — Mike Randle

Expert Pick

Collin Wilson: Steelers -3.5/4

While the Patriots were rolling over the Steelers on SNF, bells went off in my gambling brain to alarm me that Pittsburgh was an automatic play for Week 2.

Not only does Seattle has to travel from the West Coast to play a 1 p.m. ET kickoff, but the Steelers are always an attractive team to back when they are coming off a loss.

Per Bet Labs, Pittsburgh is 37-21 since 2010 against the spread when it is coming off a loss. When the Steelers are at least a 3-point favorite, they are 18-5 against the number.

The Steelers took it on the chin in Week 1, but there were still positives from the game. The offensive line graded as the eighth-best in pass blocking, a stark contrast to the Seahawks, who ranked 30th per Pro Football Focus. The entire offensive line for Seattle can be exposed not just in passing downs, but standard rushing downs where it ranked 28th.

This spread has been bouncing between -3.5 and -4, so be sure to shop around for the best number.