The Pittsburgh Steelers travel to take on the Carolina Panthers in Sunday Night Football action. The game is scheduled for an 8:30 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on NBC. Currently the odds for the game have the Panthers favored by a field goal in this one.
Carolina knocked off the Detroit Lions last week in an impressive display of defense. The Panthers kept the high-flying Lions to just seven points on the day and although Detroit moved the ball effectively, they weren't able to cash in for points.
Cam Newton returned for that game and looked solid at times, banged up at other times. He gutted it out and helped lead his team to a win, their second of the season. Now the Panthers will take on a physical Steelers group looking to get back on track.
Last week the Steelers were awful on the road, getting pounded by the rival Baltimore Ravens 26-6. This isn't the same Pittsburgh team of year's past. While they're still a good football team with a solid head coach and a two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers are another year older and Carolina is a somewhat younger version of Pittsburgh.
Carolina is 7-0-1 their last eight games as a home favorite, covering the number each time. They've only lost once at home dating back to the start of last season as well, a season-opener to the Seattle Seahawks.
Newton is back, but he's still trying to get back to 100 percent battling foot and rib problems. Look for Carolina to spend a good amount of time here on the ground, keeping the Steeler defense on the field.
The Panthers still haven't given up a first half touchdown this season, can Pittsburgh score one? The Steelers are coming into this game with a couple of extra days preparation after playing last Thursday, so a scripted first drive could end up in points. That would be huge for the Steelers in this one, especially playing on the road.
Carolina is only a field goal favorite, which is a bit odd as it feels the number should be higher. Because of that, expect a solid game in this one. Carolina gets the nod as they're the home team.
Free Pick: Carolina 21, Pittsburgh 17
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