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Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers Odds & Picks

Written September 9, 2009 by Rock Henderson

titans-steelers-betting-lines-090909 The 2009 NFL season will kickoff on Thursday night with the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers taking on a physical Tennessee Titans team. No one team dominated the Steelers like the Titans last year as they pulled away late for a 31 to 14 win. The Steelers went on to win 9 of their last 11 after the beatdown by Tennesse and take home the Lombardi Trophy while the Titans were bounced early in the playoffs after securing a first round bye. These are two of the most well run franchises in the NFL and both look to start the season with a W. Wednesday’s NFL odds show the Steelers as 6-point favorites over the Titans, with the over/under set at 34.5 points.

The 2009 Steelers have many familiar faces from a team that pulled off one of the most exciting Super Bowl comeback victories in some time against the Arizona Cardinals. The old saying goes, if it isn’t broke don’t fix it, and the Rooney family is definitely abiding by that. The team was not an active member in the off season free agent market but were able to re-sign a key component in OT Max Starks who will protect Rothleisberger’s blind side. A couple of key pieces were lost from a defense that year to year is ranked at or near the top of the league. CB Bryant McFadden and LB Larry Foote were let go by the team, but Pro Bowler James Harrison returns to lead a stingy unit. Ben Rothleisberger will direct an offense that thrives on pounding the ball with a ground attack that features running backs Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall. This will be an almost exact replica of the 2008 Steeler team so high expectations are still in tact. If you plan to do any NFL betting this season, why not do it with some extra cash? Get a $500 bonus now for opening a new account with BetUS and depositing at least $500.

The Tennessee Titans made headlines for the wrong reason during the off season as arguably the best defense player in the league, DT Albert Haysworth, bolted Nashville for a huge paycheck from the Washington Redskins. Haynsworth was the anchor to a defense was one of the most intimidating in the AFC a year ago. QB Vince Young returns to the team after going AWOL in 08′. The Titans will go into Thursday nights game with veteran Kerry Collins taking snaps from behind center. Young made a case to be the starter in the preseason session, but Coach Jeff Fisher believes that Collins can manage the game more effectively and give them the best chance to win each week. RB Chris Johnson is the main playmaker on a team that plays it fairly close to the vest when it comes to offensive play calling. The steal of the draft a year ago, Johnson provides a run/catch threat out of the backfield with superior speed.

These two teams almost completely mirror themselves from 2008s squad. The line opened at minus 5 favoring the Steelers. There is a huge trend running for the Titans in this game as they are 8-0 ATS in their last 8 games in September. Coach Fisher always his team fully prepared in Week 1 and the numbers back that up. With all the distractions the Steelers will have going on around them during opening night and being the defending champs, we like taking the 6 points here and ride the Titans for the cover.

Rock’s Pick: Tennessee Titans +6

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